South Korean police are investigating six citizens, including North Korean defectors and activists, for unauthorized travel to Ukraine—a restricted area since 2022—to advocate for two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting with Russian forces.

The group met Ukrainian officials and urged that the POWs, who reportedly wish to settle in South Korea rather than return to the North, not be repatriated against their will due to the risk of severe punishment by Pyongyang.

The case highlights diplomatic complexities between Seoul and Kyiv over the status of the North Korean prisoners under international humanitarian law, with South Korea open to accepting those who seek asylum and Ukraine emphasizing compliance with POW regulations.

South Korean police have launched an investigation into six citizens who traveled to Ukraine without government authorization as part of an advocacy mission on behalf of two North Korean prisoners of war captured while fighting alongside Russian forces.

The group, consisting of North Korean defectors and human rights activists, spent five days in Ukraine in early May, meeting with government........

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