Seoul, November 27 (IF). – The South Korean government on Thursday confirmed the first known death of a South Korean volunteer in the war in Ukraine, while supporting the country’s army in its campaign against the Russian invasion.
The man, in his 50s and surnamed Kim, died during fighting in May in the Donetsk region, one of the most active fronts in the war, according to details published by the Korea Herald newspaper.
The authorities’ confirmation comes after a funeral was held in Kiev on Tuesday for international volunteers, where the South Korean flag could be seen on one of the coffins, as seen in photos of the event published in the press.
The funeral was attended by a consular officer from the South Korean Embassy in Ukraine.
Russian authorities have claimed on several occasions that South Korean volunteers died in fighting in support of Ukraine, although Seoul has not commented on the matter to date.
The South Korean government prevents its citizens from traveling to Ukraine without special permission, although there have been cases of South Koreans defying the rules of combat in the conflict that began in February 2022 with the launch of the Russian invasion of the neighboring country.
Volunteers from countries such as the United States and Spain have also died supporting Ukraine, while at least 2,000 North Koreans have died on the Russian side, according to South Korean intelligence estimates, since Pyongyang stepped up its military cooperation with Moscow. Evie