Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he’s willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the country’s authoritarian leader arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.

The South Korean government plans to consult with Ukraine about bringing North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine to the South if they request defection, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong made the remarks during a regular press briefing following

The soldiers, reportedly from North Korea's elite Storm Corps, have apparently been ordered to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner.