Kyiv is open to negotiating with South Korea over the possible transfer of captured North Korean soldiers, Ukrainian Ambassador to Seoul Dmytro Ponomarenko said in an interview with The Korea Times published on Feb.

North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia's army in the Kursk region appear to have suspended combat operations last month, South Korea's spy agency told AFP Tuesday, coming after Ukraine claimed the soldiers had been pulled from the front line after facing heavy losses.

South Korea on Friday condemned the latest statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to bolster nuclear shield during his visit to a uranium enrichment facility earlier this week, Yonhap news reported. South Korean Unification Ministry's deputy spokesman Kim In-ae said the international community will never accept Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

North Korean troops, largely special ops forces, have suffered high casualties in bloody assaults not unlike other units, including prison units.

A North Korean soldier captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine last month reportedly made just two requests to his captors - one for water and another for a cigarette

One Ukrainian special forces soldier shares details of how his team captured the North Korean, giving an insight into the North Korean mindset.