Rep. Yu Yong-weon, right, of the ruling People Power Party speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly on March 4, about his talks with two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine during his trip to Kyiv from Feb. 23-26. Yonhap

A North Korean soldier captured by Ukraine said that the North has military training camps that feature mockups of facilities and buildings in Seoul, Busan and Jeju Island, according to a South Korean lawmaker who met the soldier on Thursday.

Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the ruling People Power Party made the remarks in an interview with SBS radio, as he released an audio clip of the North Korean soldier, identified only by his surname Ri. Ri is one of two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces in January during combat against Kyiv in Russia's Kursk region.

"When you go to the place where we train, called the Armed Forces Training Ground, it is filled with buildings modeled after the terrain of Seoul's Jongno District, as well as Busan, Daegu, Jeonju, and Jeju Island," Ri said in the audio recording.

The training site, apparently aimed at simulating raids on South Korea, is located in Koksan County in North Hwanghae Province in North Korea, Ri said.

Although it has been known that North Korea has built training sites resembling the former presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae for military exercises in the past, Yu said, "The existence of such a facility specifically in Koksan was largely unknown."

"I've heard of similar sites modeled after cities like Busan, but this is the first time I've heard that even Jeju Island was replicated," Yu added.

Yu said he heard that such training sites exist in multiple locations apart from Koksan.

When asked whether the training camps can be seen as the North's preparation for invading South Korea, Yu replied, "Yes."

"It can be seen as training in preparation for contingencies," he said.

In the audio clip, another North Korean soldier captured by Kyiv said he "did not come to Ukraine for any particular reason" and saw no need to know who the enemy was as he was simply following orders as a soldier.

He said he believed they were dispatched to "help Russia that was in trouble" as the North and Russia are allies. (Yonhap)