Ukraine War Hero Tells President Lee Jae Myung, "You Should Think Carefully About What You Are Saying"
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- 2026-10-04 10:18:38
- Updated
- 2026-10-04 10:18:38

[Financial News] A former officer regarded as a hero of the Ukraine war said of President Lee Jae Myung, "You are not in a position to threaten the Ukrainian president."
Lt. Col. Bohdan Krotevych, who served as chief of staff of the Azov Brigade, a Ukrainian special forces unit, said on X on the 2nd local time, "I do not mean to offend, but the president of South Korea should think carefully about whom he is speaking to and what he is saying. The most important thing in a crisis is to have reliable allies who will actually stand by your side."
He added, "I want to remind you that the term 'martial law' frightens South Koreans more than North Korea's actual military actions or provocations."
Krotevych made the remarks after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced that he had sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea, prompting President Lee Jae Myung to publicly criticize him. On X on the 2nd, Lee said, "Regarding the repatriation of the North Korean prisoners, the Ukrainian side requested confidentiality, and we agreed to keep the matter private, but it disclosed it unilaterally. When the president of the Republic of Korea expressed regret as politely as possible, it made the head of a foreign state out to be a liar by claiming there had been no agreement. When we asked it to acknowledge the agreement and apologize, it instead talked about an imminent military clash between North and South Korea and sought to trigger a war on the Korean Peninsula. I express my serious regret to Ukraine."
Meanwhile, Krotevych also stirred controversy in October 2024 over military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, arguing, "This is the Republic of Korea's opportunity to permanently end the division artificially created by the Soviet communist regime beginning in 1945."
[email protected] Kwon Jun-ho Reporter