South Korea

On August 17, 2023, South Korean YouTuber and former Navy SEAL Lee Geun, 39, accused of illegally entering Ukraine in 2022 “to fight the Russian invasion,” was sentenced to a 1.5- year suspended term. This popular video blogger once gave rise to rumors that “South Korean special forces are fighting in Ukraine,” which prompted this author to clarify that the rumor was about a star of tacticool videos on YouTube, who had a group of cameramen and makeup artists accompany him as he went to war. Lee Geun spent three months in Ukraine before returning home with a knee injury on May 27, 2022. On June 10, 2022, he voluntarily appeared…

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol paid an unexpected visit to Ukraine on July 15, 2023, following a three-day official visit to Poland that we previously discussed. Yoon has consistently indicated throughout his diplomatic tours in recent months that this is a strong indication of his support for Ukraine and his condemnation of Russia. Additionally, it shows Seoul’s significant interest in Kiev’s post-war reconstruction initiatives, which will necessitate huge cash investments. There was a hint of curiosity about the unexpected visit. On the eve of ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol’s…

We continue our series on the South Korean president’s trip to Eastern Europe. After concluding his visit to Vilnius for the NATO summit on July 12, Yoon proceeded to Warsaw for a three-day official visit, the first in 14 years since former president Lee Myung-bak. The President was also accompanied by a business delegation of 89 people. On July 12, in an article for the Polish daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Yoon Suk-yeol announced that South Korea would continue to support Ukraine through close cooperation with Poland, as “the partnership between South Korea and Poland extends…