▲ An image of a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump shared by the Emergency Committee for the Free Repatriation of North Korean Soldiers (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Trump-NK soldiers

Trump responds to civic group seeking rights for Ukraine-detained N. Korean soldiers

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump has sent a reply to a letter from a civic group seeking his support for North Korean soldiers captured and detained in Ukraine during its war with Russia, the group said Tuesday.

The Emergency Committee for the Free Repatriation of North Korean Soldiers said a U.S. unit of the group received a reply from Trump the previous day in response to a letter sent last month seeking his help to protect the detainees' rights and prevent them from being repatriated against their will, according to the group.

The letter was sent as two young North Koreans soldiers have been held in Ukraine for more than a year following Ukrainian forces' reported capture of them in January last year in what was once the front-line region of Russia's Kursk.

A copy of Trump's letter showed he thanked the group for sharing the story, saying "Your words are a powerful reminder of the strength, resilience, and spirit of the American people."

"It is because of proud, hardworking citizens like you that I will never stop fighting to protect our values, defend our freedoms, and put America first," Trump also wrote, extending his and his wife Melania's "best wishes."

The letter contained no remarks about the detainees.

Through South Korean media, the North Korean soldiers expressed a wish to come to South Korea, amid growing calls that they should not be sent back to North Korea or elsewhere against their will, where they could face the risk of torture.

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