March 3 (Asia Today) -- Yoo Yong-won of the conservative People Power Party said Monday that North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine who have expressed a desire to defect to South Korea were repeatedly included on Russia's repatriation lists during recent prisoner exchanges.
Yoo, a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, made the remarks at a press conference after visiting Ukraine from Feb. 24 to 26. It marked his second trip to the country after meeting North Korean POWs there last year.
"I have confirmed through Ukrainian officials that North Korean POWs who clearly expressed their intent to defect to the Republic of Korea were included multiple times on repatriation lists drafted by the Russian side," Yoo said.
Ukraine and Russia conducted about 20 large-scale prisoner swaps last year. The most recent exchange took place Feb. 5, when each side released 157 prisoners.
During his visit, Yoo met with Nelli Yakovlieva, chair of the Ukrainian parliament's subcommittee on human rights and anti-discrimination, to discuss the transfer to South Korea of two North Korean POWs he previously met.
