Seoul, Dec 4 || The South Korean unification ministry said on Thursday that it is seeking to repatriate elderly "unconverted long-term" North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) but not considering linking the issue with efforts to win the release of six South Koreans detained in the North.
Citing Seoul's national security adviser, NK News, a US news outlet centered on North Korea, reported that South Korea is willing to discuss the repatriation of unconverted, long-term North Korean POWs in an effort to bring home South Korean nationals detained in the North.
The report came after during a press conference with foreign media Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he had never heard of South Korean detainees in North Korea and lacks information on individual cases, when asked about the government's plan to secure their release.
The unification ministry dismissed the report Thursday, saying that the government is not currently considering measures to swap such North Korean POWs with South Koreans detained in the North.