Russians in Korea fear long arm of Putin's mobilization

Social Affairs

Published: 03 Oct. 2022, 18:04

Russians in Korea fear long arm of Putin's mobilization

Protesters demand an end to Russian's invasion of Ukraine and denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin's mobilization order at a demonstration in Jung District, central Seoul, on Sept. 21. [NEWS1]

Fears of being called up for war are spreading among Russians residing in Korea as the ripples of fear generated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order reach distant shores.

Vitaly, a 34-year-old Russian who declined to give his surname to avoid any problems for his family at home, is currently living in Guro District, southwestern Seoul, on a 60-day visa. He's been aiming for a while to get a longer term visa, but that has become a matter of urgency.

Vitaly says he is unable to sleep properly due to anxiety about being called up to fight in Ukraine.

“Two friends from my hometown have already been taken to the battlefield,” he said, holding up two fingers.

A 29-year-old Russian graduate student in Seoul who withheld his name completely told the JoongAng Ilbo that worries about being drafted is affecting his studies.

“All of the research and experiences I accumulated while struggling these past few years studying at a Korean university could go down the drain at any moment,” he says. “It’s just frustrating that we Russians in Korea have no say about any of this."

The Russian government has announced that citizens doing their studies will be exempted from the mobilization order, but that's not giving much relief. The graduate student in Seoul say there is a growing worry that young male students are being drafted back at home.

While Russians in Korea might appear to be beyond the reach of Moscow’s mobilization order — draft summons must be physically seen and signed by reservists to be effective — those whose stays in Korea are expiring have few legal options but to return to Russia, where they fear being called up.

According to Seoul’s justice ministry, Russians accounted for the largest segment of Europeans living in Korea last year, with a total of 21,326 Russians residing in Korea on both long- and short-term stays.

Over eighteen thousand were men, with 5,317 being between 20 and 30 years of age — the main demographic being conscripted back home.

A lot of Russians in Korea work in construction and other heavy industries. Recently, they've stopped applying for jobs — presumably to lay low.

“Only two weeks ago, we could usually find a Russian man to work for us for an hourly wage of 10,000 won ($6.93), but we’ve noticed that the number of Russian applicants dried up late last week, and we can’t hire a Russian for less than 15,000 won,” said a recruiter surnamed Lim who runs a labor agency in Ansan, Gyeonggi.

Concerns are also growing that Russian male students might overstay their visas and hide in Korea to avoid deportation to their homeland.

“We saw it during the early stages of the Covid-19 crisis, when Chinese students who didn't want to return to China would disappear suddenly, leaving their universities in an awkward position,” said a university administrator in Seoul.

“We cannot rule out the possibility that Russian students might also disappear to avoid being dragged to war.”

The local entertainment industry, which targets the global market by training K-pop idols from outside Korea, has also been forced to put its Russian-oriented recruitment on hold in light of Putin’s mobilization order,

“We were planning a K-pop idol group that includes Russian members for our Russian audience, but eventually decided to scrap the plan,” said one entertainment group official. “Each large Korean entertainment agency has trainees from Russia or former Soviet countries, but none of us can risk fostering Russian talent in the middle of a mobilization order."

Calls for humanitarian support for Korea’s Russian residents propose visa extensions — but not all are in favor.

Unlike Ukraine and Myanmar — both nations whose residents in Korea have been granted temporary visas allowing extensions to their employment and academic studies due to war and strife at home — Russia is widely seen as an aggressor. Many European Union member states not only closed their borders to Russians, but have indicated in recent days they will not grant visas to people fleeing Russia to avoid conscription.

Domestic human rights groups have urged the Korean government to take measures more actively supportive of Russian military service dissenters.

Under the Fourth Geneva Convention — signed by 196 countries including Korea — people from a warring country who do not wish to participate in armed conflict are entitled to protection without facing discrimination based on their nationality.

BY KIM NA-YOON, MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]