For two North Korean soldiers who spent over a year in the hands of Russia and Ukraine, arriving in South Korea was supposed to mark the beginning of a new life. 

Instead, the political feud surrounding their transfer has thrust them into the international spotlight — raising fresh questions about their safety, the fate of their families back home and how much of their lives should be made public.

The arrival of the two prisoners of war (POWs), captured while fighting for Russia in Ukraine, was kept out of public view until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announcedtheir transfer at