FM Cho affirms captured N Korean soldiers in Ukraine will not be sent back to Russia

"SEOUL -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that Ukraine has assured him that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russia will not be repatriated to Moscow.
Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary session, responding to a lawmaker's question

regarding the captives who remain in Ukrainian custody since they were captured during combat on Russia's side in the front-line Kursk region in January last year.
Earlier this month, Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party said after visiting Ukraine that Russia had included the two soldiers on its list of prisoners it demanded be released in a prisoner-of-war (POW) exchange.
Through media interviews, the soldiers have expressed their intention to come to South Korea rather than being sent back to the North.
Yu has called for sending a presidential envoy to Ukraine to discuss their defection, saying their repatriation to Pyongyang cannot be ruled out." msn