Ministry of Foreign Affairs Imposes Administrative Sanctions on Former Captain Lee Geun Entering Ukraine... "Criminal Charges Also Being Pursued"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 8th that it is currently imposing administrative sanctions under the Passport Act on former Captain Lee Geun, who recently left the country claiming to join the International Volunteer Corps in Ukraine.

At a regular briefing that day, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam responded to a question about whether former Captain Lee had actually arrived in Ukraine by saying, "We have recently confirmed that one of our nationals entered Ukraine without prior approval as stipulated by our government regulations."

Spokesperson Choi stated, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently proceeding with administrative sanctions on the passport in consultation with related ministries such as the Ministry of Justice under the Passport Act," and added, "We also plan to pursue criminal charges related to violations of the Passport Act."

Previously, the government warned that unauthorized entry into Ukraine could result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won under Article 26 of the Passport Act, and administrative measures such as ▲passport surrender ▲invalidating the held passport ▲refusal or restriction of new passport issuance could be imposed under Articles 12, 13, and 19 of the Passport Act.

Spokesperson Choi emphasized, "Ukraine is currently in a very severe wartime situation," and urged once again, "We ask that no one enter Ukraine without prior government approval regarding participation in the volunteer corps."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.