"Is Lee Geun Alive?" On Korean Volunteer Soldier Death Rumors... Ministry of Foreign Affairs Says "No Reports of Damage Received"

Russia "Approximately 180 Foreign Mercenaries Eliminated"

Former Navy Lieutenant Lee Geun.
/Photo by YouTube Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As Russia claimed to have killed about 180 mercenaries by airstriking a training base in western Ukraine, rumors of the death of former Navy Captain Lee Geun, who had left for Ukraine, have been spreading. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed these rumors, stating, "So far, no damage to our citizens has been reported."

Earlier on the 13th (local time), according to reports from RIA Novosti and TASS news agencies, Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense, said in a briefing, "This morning, a long-range precision weapon airstrike was carried out on the Ukrainian military training center in the Starychi area and the Yavoriv training ground in western Ukraine's Lviv region."

He added, "These facilities housed training and organization centers for foreign mercenaries preparing to be deployed to combat zones, as well as storage bases for weapons and military equipment coming from abroad."

He also warned, "As a result of the airstrike, 180 mercenaries and a large amount of foreign weapons were eliminated," and "The elimination of foreign mercenaries entering Ukrainian territory will continue."

The Yavoriv training ground is located about 40 km northwest of Lviv, a city in western Ukraine near Poland, and approximately 20 km from the Polish border. This training ground has also been used by Western soldiers, including those from the United States, for training.

Concerns among netizens about former Captain Lee have been growing. In particular, on the 11th, posts appeared on online communities such as DC Inside claiming that three Koreans conducting special operations near the Ukrainian capital had died, sparking rumors of Lee's death. His SNS accounts have also not been updated for several days, leading to various speculative reports.

In response, on the 14th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "So far, no damage to our citizens (in Ukraine) has been reported." It is known that our diplomatic authorities are monitoring the whereabouts and situation of former Captain Lee and his group within Ukraine through 'indirect means.'

Meanwhile, former Captain Lee announced on Instagram on the 6th that he had left to join the International Volunteer Corps in Ukraine, and the next day he confirmed, "I have safely arrived in Ukraine."

Under the current Passport Act, Korean citizens visiting or staying in countries with a Level 4 travel alert must obtain an 'exceptional passport use permit' from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, it has been confirmed that former Captain Lee did not apply for this permit.

Accordingly, on the 10th of this month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a complaint with the police against former Captain Lee for violating the Passport Act and has also initiated administrative sanctions such as invalidating his passport.

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