The South Korean government on Thursday confirmed the death of a national who had volunteered to fight in Ukraine, days after a military farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv for foreign fighters killed in the war.
This marks Seoul’s first official confirmation of the death of a South Korean national in the war in Ukraine, which broke out in February 2022.
"A funeral for our national who died while participating as a volunteer fighter in Ukraine was held in Kyiv on Nov. 25," a Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The South Korean Embassy in Kyiv is "providing the necessary consular assistance to the bereaved family," the official added, declining to share more details, as they pertain to personal information.
A consular officer from the Korean Embassy attended the funeral, according to the official.
The Korean government and Ukrainian authorities had been in communication to identify the deceased, and the Korean government has since notified the bereaved family members of the death, The Korea Herald learned from sources. The presence of the consular officer at the funeral was requested by bereaved family members, who were unable to attend the ceremony.
Although the government declined to publicly confirm the volunteer's identity, The Korea Herald also learned that the deceased was a man in his 50s surnamed Kim. He was killed in May during fighting with Russian forces in the Donetsk region, which is one of the most intense battlefields of the war.
Seoul had maintained that it was still “verifying” such claims, despite reports of South Koreans joining Ukraine’s foreign volunteer units — and some being killed — circulating for some time.
The official confirmation came after a farewell ceremony conducted by the International Legion, a military unit of foreign volunteers fighting alongside the Ukrainian armed forces, at Kyiv's Independence Square on Tuesday. Ukrainian soldiers were seen kneeling before a coffin draped with the South Korean national flag and paying tribute to a fallen Korean volunteer fighter.
In March 2024, Russia’s Defense Ministry released figures alleging that 15 South Koreans had served as “mercenaries” in Ukraine and that five had been killed. In June 2022, the ministry also claimed that four South Koreans had died in fighting.
Ukraine officially recruits foreign nationals through the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, a formal unit under its armed forces.
South Korean citizens, however, are barred from entering Ukraine without government approval. After the war began in 2022, Seoul designated the entire country as a no-travel zone. Unauthorized entry is punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine, along with administrative penalties such as passport invalidation.
One of the most prominent cases involved former Navy special warfare officer and YouTuber Ken Rhee. According to Rhee, he traveled to Ukraine in March 2022 without permission and joined the International Legion. After returning home following an injury months later, Rhee was sentenced to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, for violating the Passport Act, among other charges.
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