Marine who 'left the country without permission' says on KakaoTalk, "Suffered injustice in the military... Rather than choosing extreme measures, I would fight and die in battle"

Posting Text and Photos in Chat Room While Moving to Ukraine

A Marine who illegally left for Poland, claiming to join the Ukrainian International Volunteer Army, left a message in a KakaoTalk open chat room. / SBS capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The whereabouts of a Marine Corps soldier who left for Poland without permission, claiming to support the Ukrainian International Volunteer Army, remain unknown. It is reported that this soldier expressed frustrations about the absurdities of military life in a KakaoTalk open chat room while heading to Ukraine.

According to an SBS report on the 23rd, Marine Corps soldier A (20) posted messages and photos in an open chat room named "Ukrainian International Legion Volunteer Group" starting around 4 a.m. on the 22nd.

A posted a photo of a dark road and said, "On the way to Hrebenne, a Ukrainian border town," adding, "I have experienced all kinds of absurdities in the military, and rather than making an extreme choice, I decided to join the war and fight for democracy with the mindset of dying in battle."

He also said, "Whether I fight or not, the punishment is the same anyway. I plan to either serve prison time or obtain Ukrainian citizenship and start a new life."

In a phone interview with Segye Ilbo on the 22nd, A also mentioned that the military’s absurdities influenced his decision to volunteer. He said in the interview, "I wrote a 'letter of the heart,' but the perpetrator was only made to write a statement once and that was it," and added, "I was punished even more and verbally abused for 'snitching' on a senior." He continued, "Rather than making an extreme choice, I came with the thought of making my death meaningful."

A left for Warsaw, Poland through Incheon International Airport on the 21st while on leave and has since been missing. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, A attempted to enter Ukraine from Poland but was denied entry at the Ukrainian border checkpoint and remained at the Polish border checkpoint. However, it was confirmed that he left the border checkpoint in the early hours of the 23rd local time. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they will continue to track A’s whereabouts.

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