Seoul: Two North Korean soldiers captured in Ukraine while fighting for Russia have expressed their desire to defect to South Korea, an activist from Seoul reported.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Jang Se-yul, who leads a group of North Korean defectors in South Korea, revealed that the captives, both in their 20s, conveyed their intentions in a letter written in October. This letter was delivered to the defectors' group by a South Korean documentary producer who met the soldiers at a prisoner-of-war camp near Kyiv.

The letter stated, "We've made up our mind to go to South Korea, thinking of those in South Korea as our parents and brothers." The captives expressed gratitude for the support received, viewing their situation as "the beginning of a new life" rather than a tragedy.

The North Korean POWs gained media attention when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned their capture in January. The soldiers were reportedly captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's western Kursk region during combat operations.

Jang confirmed that the letter solidified their desire to seek asylum in South Korea. Previously, in February, only one of the soldiers had indicated such an intent during discussions with a South Korean lawmaker.

Since October of the previous year, approximately 15,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia to aid in the conflict with Ukraine. The South Korean government has communicated its readiness to accept the North Korean captives, contingent upon confirmation of their intentions, to the Ukrainian authorities.