Seoul: The state human rights watchdog announced its decision to request Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok to expedite the transfer of two North Korean soldiers, currently held as prisoners of war in Ukraine, to South Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the National Human Rights Commission reached this decision during a plenary session on Monday. The commission's members agreed to "state their opinion" on the matter rather than "recommend" specific measures, highlighting the urgency and sensitivity of the situation.
The two North Korean soldiers have been detained in Ukraine since early last year. They have both expressed a desire to defect to South Korea, a sentiment they shared in interviews aired by broadcaster MBC last January. Kim Young-mi, the television producer who conducted these interviews in Ukraine, was present at Monday's session and reinforced the soldiers' intent to defect. She reported that one soldier expressed a willingness to take his own life rather than face severe punishment if returned to North Korea.
The issue was previously discussed in the commission's plenary session last month. However, it remained unresolved as there was a consensus that the foreign ministry should be given more time to devise its own measures.