Captured soldiers whose faces were shown are “mice trapped in a jar”
Still image showing one of the two captured North Korean soldiers being questioned by a Ukrainian interrogator. Source: Volodymyr Zelensky via Telegram
The face of a captured North Korean soldier, being interrogated, his face wrapped in bandages, reminded me of the South Korean National Intelligence Service officer who grilled me like a criminal ten years ago.
Back then, I felt uncomfortable to say the least. But at least, as I was innocent, I was to be released in a free country.
Can we say the same about the soldier caught by the Ukrainians? It was painful to see his face and the face of a fellow prisoner on the TV screen. Did they know they were appearing on TV worldwide? Did they give their consent or, as prisoners, did they have no choice? Such questions rushed through my mind, all driven by an underlying question. With their faces thus exposed, will their families in North Korea be safe?
Their plight evokes the wandering of the hero in Homer’s Odyssey. After the Trojan War, Odysseus tries to return to Ithaca, but is cursed by the gods and wanders the seas for ten years. On Calypso’s island, he is offered eternal life, but he wants to return home. In the straits of Scylla and Charybdis, no matter what he chooses, sacrifice is inevitable. Eventually, he falls into a dilemma where he cannot make a choice. He can’t be fully accepted anywhere.
Odysseus eventually overcame all his trials and returned home. But these captured soldiers may not be so lucky.
They face punishment if they return home. The regime will see them as traitors for having allowed themselves to be taken alive. They also may never be able to come to South Korea without endangering their families.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong-un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X on January 13.
It’s not clear whether this is a real option as Pyongyang and Moscow deny the deployment of North Korean troops.
Another possibility is defection to South Korea.
“One of them (soldiers) expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, the other to return to Korea,” Zelenskiy said in a televised statement. He said that for those who did not wish to return home, there may be other options available. “Those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in the Korean (language) will be given that opportunity,” he said.
Some defectors in South Korea have criticized the Ukrainian authorities for exposing the faces of the soldiers.
“In this situation where their faces are fully exposed, the only way they can protect their families is by returning to North Korea,” said Lee, 30. “If they come to South Korea, it’s clear their families will be punished.
“Ukraine may have had a specific purpose for showing their faces,” said another defector, Choi, 60. “They might have wanted to confirm the North’s involvement in the war.”
Lee said, “When I saw those photos, I thought, ‘They are mice trapped in a jar.’ I felt so sorry for them. How will their families in North Korea be safe?”
North Korean rights organizations have sent an open letter to Zelensky, requesting he refrain from revealing the identities of captured soldiers and not send them anywhere against their will.
These organizations cited the Geneva Conventions, which states, “If the repatriation of prisoners of war clearly violates the general principles of international law concerning the protection of humans, the detaining country can allow asylum.”
Jia defected from North Korea in search of basic freedoms, including the right to travel and freely express herself. Her identity as a North Korean has given her a sense of responsibility to represent the voices of her family and hometown friends and is also the reason she has chosen to work as a journalist.
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