North Korean defectors and human rights activists have launched a committee to facilitate the defection of the two DPRK prisoners of war held in Ukraine, after both soldiers reportedly expressed their wish to resettle in South Korea. 

The Emergency Committee for the Free Repatriation of North Korean Soldiers will rely on local networks and work with governments and international organizations to track the prisoners’ safety and ensure their safe defection to South Korea, the committee’s Secretary-General Jang Se-yul told NK News after a press briefing on Friday.