From May 7 to 11, 2026, a delegation of South Korean human rights defenders visited Kyiv on a working mission. The delegation was led by Jang Se-yul, head of the Gyeore-eol Nation United organization and a prominent figure among North Korean defectors.
The delegation also included human rights activists and North Korean defectors Lee Byeong-rim, Woo Young-bok, and Yang Si-yeong, along with Professor Kang Dong-wan, who specializes in researching social processes in North Korea.
The Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine provided coordination support for the visit.
During the mission, the delegation held a series of meetings with representatives of national and international institutions involved in resolving issues concerning North Korean prisoners of war captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the Kursk operation.
Significant attention was directed toward engagement with Ukrainian civil society. Specifically, working meetings were held with the leadership of the Center for Civil Liberties (the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate) and the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, aimed at exchanging institutional experience and establishing communication channels. Furthermore, the Center for Civil Liberties hosted a joint seminar titled "Korean-Ukrainian Dialogue: Coordinating Civil Society Efforts Against War Crimes," during which the delegates presented their own experiences and emphasized the necessity of international consolidation in human rights activities.
At the political level, the delegation held consultations with Members of Parliament of Ukraine Yaroslav Yurchyshyn and Volodymyr Viatrovych.
The conclusion of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine and Gyeore-eol Nation United, acting as a leading organization of North Korean defectors.
The Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine consistently advocates the position that the consolidation of autocratic regimes poses a threat to every free nation.
Considering the deepening military-political cooperation between the DPRK and the Russian Federation, as well as the direct participation of the North Korean contingent in the aggression against Ukraine, establishing institutional contacts with dissidents from the DPRK extends beyond value-based solidarity, acquiring critical significance for national security.
We express our hope for the prompt transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea, the only state possessing legitimate jurisdiction over the entire territory of the Korean Peninsula and bearing international legal responsibility for the citizens residing in the occupied north.
