South Korea's unification ministry stated it is seeking to repatriate elderly 'unconverted long-term' North Korean prisoners of war but is not considering linking the issue to efforts to release six South Korean detainees in the North. The clarification refutes a report by NK News, emphasizing humanitarian repatriation separately. North Korea has not confirmed the detainees' whereabouts.
On December 4, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea's unification ministry announced it is pursuing the repatriation of elderly 'unconverted long-term' North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) on humanitarian grounds. However, it explicitly stated that this will not be linked to efforts to secure the release of six South Korean nationals detained in the North.
NK News, a U.S.-based outlet focused on North Korea, reported that South Korea is willing to discuss repatriating such POWs as part of efforts to bring home the detained South Koreans, citing Seoul's national security adviser. This came after President Lee Jae-myung stated during a Wednesday press conference with foreign media that he had never heard of South Korean detainees in North Korea and lacked information on individual cases. The president said, "I have never heard of South Korean detainees in North Korea, and I lack information on individual cases."
A ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters: "From humanitarian grounds, the government will seek to repatriate unconverted long-term North Korean POWs. But it is not currently considering linking the issue to efforts to win the release of our nationals detained in the North."
Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old former North Korean soldier, has urged the government to repatriate him to North Korea via China or Russia. He is one of six elderly former North Korean soldiers and spies who have not renounced their communist beliefs tied to North Korea, despite decades in South Korean prisons.
Currently, three South Korean missionaries—Kim Jung-wook, Kim Kook-kie, and Choi Chun-gil—have been detained in North Korea for over a decade on anti-state charges. Three former North Korean defectors who acquired South Korean citizenship were captured in 2016. North Korea has not confirmed their whereabouts or fates.
The unification ministry acknowledged the "urgent" need to resolve the detainee issue and is working on it through dialogue with North Korea. It added, "The government will make multifaceted efforts to secure the release of South Korean nationals detained in the North."