Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday Kyiv is ready to hand over North Korean soldiers to their leader Kim Jong Un in exchange for the return of Ukrainians held captive in Russia.

"In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It's only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

The Ukrainian president shared a video depicting the interrogation of two North Korean prisoners of war.

In the video, one prisoner is lying on a bunk bed, while the other is sitting up in bed with a bandage wrapped around his jaw.

Zelenskyy added that there may be other options available for those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return and "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."

North Korean troops in Ukraine

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces had captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in the Russian border region of Kursk.

It marked the first time Kyiv had announced the capture of North Korean soldiers alive since Pyongyang sent troops to support Russia in the war with Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said the captives were receiving "necessary medical assistance" and were in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) custody in Kyiv.

North Korea is believed to have sent around 12,000 soldiers to Russia to support its war in Ukraine.

Last month, South Korea said that there had been 1,000 North Korean casualties in the war.

Zelenskyy said the media would also be given access to the prisoners. "The world must know the truth about what is happening," he said.

ess/lo (AFP, dpa, Reuters)