U.N. Special Rapporteur for North Korean Human Rights Elizabeth Salmon garnered significant media attention in South Korea on February 6 when she declared that the fate of North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine will be up to the government in Kyiv. The South Korean government has repeatedly conveyed its willingness to accept the soldiers as its citizens after the war, but the United Nations’ position on the matter introduces a potential obstacle to that outcome. 

Salmon’s comments came right after the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine on February 5 – the first in five months.

© The Diplomat