A North Korean soldier captured by Ukrainian forces expressed a desire to defect, saying, "I really want to go to Korea," according to Yoo Yong-won, a member of the People Power Party.

On Nov. 4, People Power Party member Yoo Yong-won, who interviews a North Korean army prisoner captured by Ukrainian forces, is explaining the results of the interview while revealing an audio file of the North Korean army prisoner at the National Assembly Communication Center in Yeouido, Seoul. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

On the morning of the 4th, Yoo held a press conference at the National Assembly, where he unveiled photos and voice recordings of two North Korean soldiers he interviewed in Ukraine. The two North Korean soldiers Yoo met had also provided interviews to Chosunilbo.

One of the soldiers expressed his intention to defect to Yoo, saying, "I really want to go to meet my parents in the future." The other soldier responded regarding his intention to defect, saying, "It seems like I’m starting to make a decision. I think I need to think a bit more about it."

Earlier, Yoo received an official invitation to visit Ukraine from the 23rd to the 26th of last month for the "Yalta European Strategy (YES) Special Meeting" and interviewed two North Korean soldiers for about 1 hour and 10 minutes on the 25th of the same month. This interview was conducted at Yoo's direct request to the Ukrainian authorities.

Yoo urged, "The diplomatic authorities should make every effort to prevent any unfortunate incidents in which North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine are forcibly repatriated," and added, "The government's determination to repatriate those North Korean soldiers who have expressed their intention to defect should not be overlooked, so please take quicker and more special measures."