Korean resident of Kyiv records Russian invasion as war marks second anniversary

Diplomacy

Published: 26 Feb. 2024, 16:35

Korean resident of Kyiv records Russian invasion as war marks second anniversary

Ukrainians clear away rubble from a building destroyed by a Russian air strike in Kyiv on Jan. 3, 2024. [EPA/YONHAP]

Saturday marked exactly two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the front lines and international contexts have changed to varying degrees, what has not changed is the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people to protect their territorial sovereignty.

Lim Gil-ho, 53, who has lived in Kyiv for 24 years, sent an email to the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, about the current situation in the Ukrainian capital city. Lim works at the Korean Education Center in Kyiv, Ukraine. He has remained in the city throughout the war. The JoongAng Ilbo has reconstructed the vivid tales Lim delivered into a "battlefield diary."

“Boom, boom”

At 6 a.m. on Feb. 7, as I left for work early, a sound like a thunderbolt struck my ears. This is the sound of Ukraine’s air defense system intercepting a Russian missile. One would think I would have gotten used to it by now, but every time, my heart beats like it will explode. I quickly hid in the subway station and desperately waited for the explosions to subside.

On this day, the Russian military fired 60 missiles over several hours. The subway station was filled with Ukrainians, all terrified like me.

Lim Gil-ho, a Korean living and working in Kyiv, stands in front of the Independence Square in Kyiv [LIM GIL-HO]

Exhausted faces surrounded me. Over the past two years, anxiety and fear have become a daily occurrence for Kyiv citizens. Fatigue and anger are evident in everyone’s expressions. The atmosphere is like everyone might explode if someone touches us even slightly. Middle-aged people suffer from high blood pressure and heart conditions, and children and teenagers feel anxious and nervous.

After a few hours, the air raid finally stopped, and subway operations resumed. The inside of the station became chaotic as everyone rushed to get on the subway.

I work at the Korean Education Center in Ukraine, located in Kyiv, and have lived here for 24 years. Two years ago, immediately after the full-scale invasion by the Russian army, the Korean Embassy in Ukraine quickly recommended an evacuation, but I decided to stay. My conscience did not allow me to leave by myself, leaving behind the Ukrainians, who were like family to me. Even now, I don’t regret that decision. I keep supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.

Kyiv citizens rush to get on to the train after the subway started operating again after being halted due to an airstrike on Feb. 7. At least two people were killed in an airstrike by the Russian military on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv during rushing hour at 6 a.m. [LIM GIL-HO]

A collapsed economy is more frightening than air raids

Kyiv appears to have found relative stability compared to the beginning of the war. There is no shortage of daily necessities. Food delivery is also available, and taxi services such as Uber and Bolt are also in operation. Citizens are going to work, and students have taken face-to-face classes at school since the fall of last year.

Although people are gradually adapting to the sounds of air raids and sirens, overcoming the psychological pressure caused by the unstable economic situation isn't easy. Currently, the Ukrainian economy is entirely dependent on Western aid. The financial market is subject to severe ups and downs, with exchange rates fluctuating depending on the support from the United States and the European Union.

Total exports last year were about $191.4 billion, a decrease of 18.7 percent ($35.8 billion) compared to the previous year, according to the Ukrainian government. This is the lowest level in the last 10 years. Foreign currency income from grain exports amounts to 60 percent, most used to fund the war.

Maintaining public education due to financial difficulties is difficult. Schools do not have enough money even to print textbooks that were distributed free of charge to elementary and middle school students.

A shopping mall in downtown Kyiv is nearly empty on Feb. 12. The same shopping mall used to be filled with shoppers and tourists, but after the war many stores inside the mall have closed. [LIM GIL-HO]

A few days ago, I met a young man in his 20s who fled to Kyiv from Bakhmut, the biggest battleground in the eastern part of Ukraine. He said he receives a subsidy of 2,500 hryvnias (about 90,000 won or $65) per month, but with this money, living in Kyiv, where the monthly rent for an apartment is over $300, is difficult. He said that even though he works hard in part-time jobs such as night-time food deliveries, making a living is tough.

Wages are often unpaid. Fewer people seem to take money out of banks than at the beginning of the war. Everyone is tightening their belts and holding on. However, Russia is said to have created a war economy system, such as making drones in bakeries — just like when Japan waged the Pacific War at the end of the Japanese colonial period — but Ukraine has yet to forcibly mobilize private companies.

A street in Kyiv nearly two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 11. As life has stabilized after the outbreak of war, more people have appeared on the streets in the capital city. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korea in the middle of a war — are we prepared?

Experiencing war firsthand, I was struck by the fact that Korea is also in the midst of a cease-fire. The shortest distance from mainland Russia to Kyiv is about 200 kilometers (124 miles), but it is only about 30 kilometers from the cease-fire line between North and South Korea to Seoul. Aren’t we much more exposed to the dangers of missiles and cannons?

At the beginning of the war, Russia expected to occupy Kyiv in three days, but Ukraine prevented it. I think Korea has a lot to learn from this.

Looking back, the uninterrupted communication at the beginning of the war played a huge role. Thanks to the running internet, citizens were able to understand the situation in real-time and share information. As the sense of isolation disappeared, fear and tension also eased.

Air raid shelters are also important. The shelters protect Kyiv citizens from the Russian military’s constant missile and drone attacks. Examples include apartment underground parking lots and subway stations. In particular, Ukraine’s subway stations are 30 meters (98 feet) to 60 meters underground, making them impervious to air raids. Arsenalna Station is particularly deep at 105.5 meters underground — the second deepest in the world. It was built during the former Soviet Union and so could be built so deep with little controversy over private property.

Securing electricity and medicine is also essential. In the early days of the war, the most sold items in Kyiv were flashlights and cell phone charging batteries. Also, the first place where people lined up were pharmacies. People who needed to take medication regularly for chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes were in a panic. Although pharmacies are now operating normally, there are not as many medications as there were before the war due to poor imports.

During a war, it is not just soldiers who fight. Civilians also fight the war every day, and their calm responses play a decisive role in reducing damage. In fact, at the beginning of the Russian invasion, all public transportation in Kyiv stopped, but civilian volunteers stepped up and helped people get home quickly by private care. I also received help then and vividly remember the gratitude I felt at the time.

When you hear the sound of a bombing for the first time in your life, you cannot help but feel immense fear and panic. At this time, a thorough and accurate manual is what calms citizens. I wonder if Korea has prepared a manual to prepare people for emergencies like this. As I think about this, I come to ponder what-ifs. I am staying in Ukraine now, but if war breaks out in Korea, I will definitely return to defend Korea.

Ukrainians take refuge on the escalators of an underground subway station in the center of Kyiv as an alert was issued due to a Russian air strike in late December, 2022. [AFP/YONHAP]

Ukraine is not losing. Korea is their postwar recovery model.

Although we often hear pessimistic news, almost no one I met in Kyiv thought that Ukraine was losing the war. The war situation isn't great, but people are determined not to back down. Hostility toward Russia and President Vladimir Putin is also growing stronger. Even mentioning Putin’s name in front of Ukrainians now is hugely disrespectful.

Putin seems to be willing to sign a cease-fire on the condition that the current front line be designated as a border, but as far as I know, Ukrainians have no intention of accepting this. Ukraine is an area with fertile soil, so much so that it is said crops will grow on their own if you just sow the seeds. Perhaps that is why, for Ukrainians, the land is life itself and an object of affection. Giving up territory for a cease-fire is impossible. The will to regain the territory occupied by Russia is also very strong. It seems that the war will not end easily.

But even during war, everyone pictures a postwar peace in their minds. Ukrainians choose Korea as a model for postwar national reconstruction and recovery. Ukrainians hope to become part of the European community by acquiring the know-how of Korea’s rapid growth, emulating the “Miracle of the Han River.” This is why the geography and world history textbooks for 10th and 11th graders in Ukraine included examples of Korea’s economic development and democratization last year. When President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Ukraine in July last year, many citizens expressed gratitude.