JAKARTA – The South Korean government on Thursday confirmed the death of a volunteer citizen to fight in Ukraine, days after a military farewell ceremony was held in Kyiv for foreign fighters who died in the war.
This is Seoul’s first official confirmation of the death of a South Korean citizen in the war in Ukraine, which erupted in February 2022.
“The funeral to our citizens who died while participating as volunteer fighters in Ukraine was held in Kyiv on November 25,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry official told The Korea Herald November 27.
The South Korean Embassy in Kyiv “provides the necessary consular assistance to families left behind,” the official added, refusing to provide further information, as the information relates to personal information.
The official also said a consular officer from the Korean Embassy attended the funeral.
The South Korean government and Ukrainian authorities have communicated to identify the deceased.
Since now, the South Korean government has since informed families left behind about the death, The Korea Herald learned from several sources.
The presence of consular officers at the funeral was at the request of the bereaved family, who could not attend the ceremony.
Although the government declined to publicly confirm the identity of the volunteer, The Korea Herald also learned the deceased was a man in his 50s with Kim’s surname.
He died in May in fighting with Russian troops in the Donetsk region, one of the fiercest battlefields of the war.
Seoul insists it is still “verifying” the claims, although reports of South Koreans joining Ukraine’s foreign volunteer units and some of them being killed have been circulating for some time.
This official confirmation comes after a farewell ceremony led by the International Legion, a foreign volunteer military unit that fought alongside the Ukrainian armed forces, at the Kyiv Independence Square on Tuesday.
Ukrainian soldiers were seen kneeling in front of a coffin wrapped in South Korea’s national flag and paying tribute to a fallen Korean volunteer fighter.
In March 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense released data stating 15 South Koreans had served as “mercenaries” in Ukraine and five people were killed. In June 2022, the ministry also claimed four South Koreans were killed in fighting.
It is known that Ukraine officially recruited foreign nationals through the International Legion for Ukraine’s Defense, a formal unit under its armed forces.
However, South Korean citizens are prohibited from entering Ukraine without government approval. After the war began in 2022, Seoul designated the entire country a travel ban zone.
If you are determined to violate this provision, a sentence of up to one year in prison or a fine, as well as administrative sanctions such as revocation of passports.
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