Ukraine has a legal obligation not to repatriate the two North Korean prisoners of war captured in battle, though the ultimate decision lies with Kyiv, according to the U.N. special envoy for North Korean human rights.

“Ukraine accepted that they have the status of prisoners of war according to the Third Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War of 1949,” Special Rapporteur Elizabeth Salmón said during a press conference in Seoul on Friday.

Salmón arrived in Seoul earlier this week on an official visit to meet with government officials and North Korean defectors, as she prepares to presentan annual