North Korean POWs: Political pawns in Russia’s war on Ukraine?

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionSportVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upplay videoplay videoVideo Duration 47 minutes 07 seconds play-arrow47:07101 EastNorth Korean POWs: Political pawns in Russia’s war on Ukraine?101 East investigates the plight of two North Korean POWs in Ukraine and the campaign to transfer them to South Korea. In January 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced to the world the capture of two North Korean soldiers. It was the first hard evidence that Kim Jong Un had secretly deployed some 15,000 special forces troops to support the Russian invasion of Ukraine in exchange for billions of dollars worth of military technology and cash for Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. But posting the POWs’ images online and opening their prison doors to media caused alarm, with international human rights organisations arguing that such exposure breaches the Geneva Convention and puts the soldiers and their families in North Korea in grave danger. As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, 101 East investigates whether North Korean POWs are being used as political pawns and the challenges of bringing them to safety in South Korea. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoMore from the same showKazakhstan’s train hospital brings healthcare to remote regionsVideo Duration 25 minutes 20 seconds play-arrow25:20Dinosaurs for sale: Is the global fossil market harming science?Video Duration 48 minutes 10 seconds play-arrow48:10Inside the world of Catholic exorcisms in the PhilippinesVideo Duration 25 minutes 20 seconds play-arrow25:20The human cost of the Philippines’ flood-control corruption scandalVideo Duration 25 minutes 20 seconds play-arrow25:20Deadly skies: Why Nepal is one of the most dangerous places to flyVideo Duration 24 minutes 40 seconds play-arrow24:40How China’s appetite for the ‘king of fruits’ is changing Southeast AsiaVideo Duration 25 minutes 15 seconds play-arrow25:15India’s snake rescuers: Can humans and serpents coexist in a megacity?Video Duration 25 minutes 00 seconds play-arrow25:00AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: