The Suffering of the Ukrainian Koreans [Global Citizen by Lee Hee-young]

[Journalist Lee Hei-yong, Advisory Committee Member for TUSER PARABOLA Multicultural Koreans] Four years have already passed. The war between the two countries, which began on February 24, 2022, with the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, shows no sign of ending anytime soon. Although various efforts have been made to reach a ceasefire, the positions of both sides remain tense over core issues.

Donald Trump, the U.S. president who previously made loud claims that he would immediately end the war, is not only failing to present a viable solution, but also encouraging Putin's imperialistic instincts by attempting to oust Maduro, the president of Venezuela, and revealing ambitions to annex Greenland.

Many people have already been sacrificed. According to the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Russian forces have suffered about 325,000 dead soldiers, totaling around 1.2 million. This includes North Korean soldiers. Ukraine's military has also lost or injured about 600,000 personnel. The United Nations estimates that the number of civilian deaths and injuries has reached 15,820 and 42,900 respectively.

Many people left their homes. Over 5 million Ukrainian citizens fled their homeland to neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania, and Hungary, and about 7.1 million moved to other parts of the country. It is considered the largest refugee crisis since World War II.

There are also Koreans living in Ukraine. As of the end of 2024, there are 12,800 people, mostly Koreans aged 3 to 5. Their ancestors settled in the Russian Primorsky Krai from the 1860s, but were forcibly relocated to Central Asia in 1937. After Stalin's death in 1953, restrictions on residence and movement were lifted, allowing them to re-migrate for purposes such as farm employment.

Among them, more than 3,000 people chose their grandfather's homeland as a refuge. When the war broke out, the Ministry of Justice simplified the visa application documents for Korean Ukrainians, and also allowed humanitarian special residence until the situation stabilized for compatriots who had entered the country before the war. Recently, they decided to change the visit employment (H-2) visa to the overseas compatriot (F-4) visa, making it easier to extend the stay or choose the field of employment.

Citizens also rolled up their sleeves. Pastor Lee Cheon-yeong and residents of the Gwangju Korean Ethnic Minority Village brought 900 Ukrainian compatriots who were unable to afford airfare and had been anxiously waiting. They collected 23 billion won in donations, purchased plane tickets, arranged for rental housing, and even helped them find jobs. Citizens, social organizations, religious groups, and compatriot associations such as the "Korean People's Mutual Aid Movement," "Global Compatriot Solidarity," "Korean Association," "Red Cross Society of Korea," and "Good Neighbors" as well as public institutions, companies, and universities have all contributed their efforts to deliver essential supplies and provided medical and educational volunteer services.

However, as the war prolonged, the initial enthusiasm waned, and the assistance from others also decreased, leading to difficulties in making a living. Moreover, males aged 18 to 60 were mostly conscripted and left for the front lines, leaving only the elderly, women, and minors behind, resulting in a vulnerable situation for survival.

I came with the intention of staying for a while and returning home once the war ended, but as we entered the stage of settling down, new concerns arose. We want to find a job that recognizes our career, and we want our children to enter a normal educational process, but the reality is not easy. At first, I felt fortunate just to have escaped from the battlefield, but as time passed, the war trauma and the pain of separation and displacement resurfaced, making it hard to endure.

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