“As the first Korean volunteers, we will raise our status on behalf of our country.”
Former Naval Special Warfare Team (UDT/SEAL) Captain Lee Geun, who became famous by appearing in the YouTube entertainment show ‘Fake Man’, wrote this on the social network service (SNS) on the 6th. He continued, “I tried to leave the country through official procedures, but I felt strong opposition from the Korean government, so friction arose. He said, “If he enters a travel ban country, he will be treated as a criminal and threatened with a one-year prison sentence or a fine of 10 million won.” He also said, “We will fight at the forefront,” while sharing his current situation through SNS.
Online is booming. The support for “courageous action” and the criticism for “illegal behavior” countered. After confirming that three Koreans, including him, had entered Ukraine, the government took administrative sanctions, such as invalidating their passports. He also filed a criminal complaint with the police for violating the passport law. Currently, Ukraine is a level 4 country, the highest level of travel warning, and entry is prohibited without government permission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an order to return her passport after Kang, who fought with the Islamic State (IS) as a member of the Kurdish militia ‘People’s Guard’ in Syria, a travel ban for two years from 2017, returned to Korea. Apart from the fact that Lee’s trip to Ukraine was illegal, it is reported that more than 100 Koreans have expressed their intention to participate in the voluntary army. Despite the government’s warning to “restrain from unexpected acts,” the Ukrainian Embassy in Korea is still guiding adults over the age of 18 with military experience the local enlistment procedure. As the Ukraine crisis shows signs of prolonging, there is a high expectation that the controversy over the volunteers will not go away easily in Korea.
○ ‘International Corps’ deployed to defend Kiiwu
Volunteers belonging to the ‘International Corps’ are taking a commemorative photo in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian military, they are of various nationalities, including the United States, Britain, Sweden and Mexico. photo source social network serviceUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the creation of an ‘international legion’ right after he appealed last month, “If you want to join the defense of the world, come to Ukraine and fight against Russian war criminals.” As of the 6th, about 20,000 foreigners went to Ukraine. Like former Captain Lee, volunteers from 52 countries around the world are flocking to the Polish border in small groups or in groups of hundreds.
This includes not only former Special Forces members and veterans, but also college students and office workers with no combat experience. In particular, medical personnel such as paramedics and nurses are lining up to go to Ukraine. Most of the volunteers are Europeans, but about 3,000 people from the United States and Canada also expressed their intention to participate in the war. In Japan, about 50 former Self-Defense Forces members also wished to participate in the war. The Ukrainian government has announced that it will issue citizenship to foreigners who have fought in the war.
It is understood that the International Corps has been deployed to defend the capital, Kiiu, from the 7th. Volunteers with mixed nationalities are being mobilized for trench maintenance. Volunteers belonging to the International Corps are basically instructed by Ukrainian officers. It is said that Ukrainian military uniforms, bulletproof caps, and AK rifles were also provided. Archyde.com, citing a Ukrainian volunteer deployment officer, reported that they would be paid salaries like other Ukrainian soldiers.
There are also reports that some units to which the volunteers belong are already fighting on the front lines. “[The volunteers]are playing an increasingly bigger role as combat spreads,” Archyde.com said, referring to the anecdote that Georgia’s former defense minister and former special forces forces used rifles to neutralize a Russian armed vehicle. It is observed that if Ukraine’s unit deployment and training system for volunteers is stabilized in the future, the proportion of the international corps’ combat against Russia will also increase.
○ Russia retaliates with Syrian mercenaries… fear of escalation
The current situation in which volunteers from around the world are gathering in Ukraine is similar to the situation in 1936 when the Spanish Civil War broke out. At that time, when the fascist military led a coup and waged a civil war with the legitimately elected socialist forces, workers and intellectuals from around the world joined the ‘international brigade’ to help the government forces and fought. Famous writers of the time, such as George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway, also applied for the international brigade, and the number of volunteers amounted to between 40,000 and 50,000. The British Guardian compared the current situation with the Spanish Civil War and said, “It is unprecedented in modern warfare for a sovereign state to appeal to foreigners to participate in the war.”
Meanwhile, Russia is fighting back fire by recruiting Syrian mercenaries. The plan is to mobilize those who have experienced the Syrian civil war to occupy major Ukrainian cities. Syrian media reported that Russia is recruiting volunteers to serve as Russian guards in Ukraine for six months, with a salary of 200-300 dollars. The Wall Street Journal analyzed that Syrian mercenaries have nearly 10 years of experience in street warfare compared to the conscripted Russian army, and that the battle in Ukraine is highly likely to intensify.
In addition, Russian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Igor Konashenkov called the volunteers serving in the fight against Russia “criminals” and said, “(They) will be prosecuted for crimes. You cannot enjoy the status of It implied that, in the worst case, execution is possible under Russian law when volunteers are captured by the Russian army.
○ “Illegal” vs “Individual freedom” differing opinions
Each country’s position on the participation of the Ukrainian volunteers is mixed. There are countries that say that participation in the volunteer army is an individual’s freedom and that there will be no legal punishment, and there are countries such as South Korea and Japan where entry into Ukraine itself is prohibited by law. Opinions are also divided. As the Russian invasion is clearly a violation of international law, there are voices supporting the volunteers, but there are also strong public opinion against them because they are concerned about diplomatic tensions between their home country and Russia. There are also voices mixed with self-help, saying, “There is no country participating in the war nationally, so the volunteers go to the battlefield instead.”
Denmark is considered one of the countries that actively allowed the participation of volunteers. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a public speech on the 27th of last month, three days after Russia invaded Ukraine, “It is a personal choice to participate in Ukraine’s war.” There is no,” he said. In fact, the participation of volunteers was allowed. However, the Danish Veterans Association warns that “if done wrongly, it can lead to loss of life” and that “those who are not trained should not be hastily join the volunteer army.”
In Germany, it is known that more than 1,000 volunteers have been to Ukraine so far. However, according to the German Ministry of Interior, some of these people are related to neo-Nazis or far-right groups, so there is controversy over whether they can participate in the war.
In the UK, even within the government, there is confusion about the participation of the volunteers. British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said “I support the British who decided to go to Ukraine to fight the Russian army”, but Defense Secretary Ben Wallis said “there are other ways to help Ukraine than to go to war.” The British law prohibits enlisting in foreign countries without official permission from the government, but even in the Crimean Peninsula crisis, the volunteers who participated in the war were not actually punished. The United States and France do not have laws that prevent the participation of volunteers. However, for the sake of safety, he strongly advises not to enter Ukraine, and at the same time continues to emphasize that the state does not provide economic compensation for personal damage.
Reporter Shin Shin-jin [email protected]
By Choi Ji-seon, staff reporter [email protected]
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