"Removed Bulletproof Vest Before Death for Child"... Korean-Ukrainian Actor Dies in Russian Bombing

Pasha LEE. /Photo by SNS capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Pasha Lee (33), a Korean-Ukrainian actor who died from a bomb dropped by Russian forces, reportedly took off his bulletproof vest and gave it to a young child just before his death.

According to the British media outlet LBC on the 13th (local time), Pasha Lee, a Korean-Ukrainian actor born to a Koryo-saram father and a Ukrainian mother, volunteered to join the Ukrainian military when the war began on the 24th of last month. On the 6th, he participated in evacuating civilians in Irpin, a city adjacent to the capital Kyiv (Kiyev), but died due to a Russian airstrike.

When the evacuation was disrupted by Russian bombing, Pasha Lee took off his bulletproof vest and put it on the child he was holding. He then tried to avoid the bombing while holding the child in his arms but ultimately died.

The civic group CCL (The Centre for Civil Liberties) stated, "Pasha Lee helped children evacuate safely outside their homes in Irpin," and "his body was found five days after he died in Irpin."

The survival status of the child who was wearing the bulletproof vest and held in his arms has not been confirmed.

Meanwhile, news of Pasha Lee's death has sparked waves of mourning in Ukraine. On the 11th, Dmytro Ponomarenko, the Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea, tweeted, "Pasha Lee died while helping citizens escape from the war-torn city of Irpin when Russia attacked Ukraine," commemorating his death.

Professor Park No-ja of the University of Oslo in Norway also wrote on Facebook on the 7th, "Pasha Lee, a Soviet-born Korean (Koryo-saram) actor from Ukraine, died after being hit by a bomb while fighting Russian invaders. He was only thirty-three years old."

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