Official sources in Kyiv confirm that neither the Ukrainian Embassy in Seoul nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs circulated any recruitment posters or materials encouraging South Korean citizens to enlist in Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
Russian media and pro-Kremlin social channels have circulated claims that Ukraine is actively recruiting South Korean citizens for its armed forces. The posts cite photographs of posters allegedly placed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul as “proof” of the recruitment drive.
Propaganda reports claim that announcements posted on the streets of Seoul by Ukraine’s MFA encourage South Korean citizens to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The posts characterize Kyiv as ‘deranged and panicked,’ noting that volunteers are allegedly promised ‘special rights to obtain Ukrainian citizenship’ if they enlist.
The images circulated by propaganda sources are attributed to Alan Kellow, an English-language columnist on the online platform Medium. On the site, any registered user can publish articles. Kellow stated that he personally observed these posters on the streets of Seoul.
“While walking through the streets of Seoul, I came across a poster that immediately caught my attention — not because of its design, but because of its deeply disturbing content. The poster, branded with the MFA of Ukraine’s logo and imagery, openly calls on South Korean citizens to ‘join the Ukrainian army’.” claims the author.
The posters shown in the photographs display two contacts — a phone number and an email address — both belonging to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea. However, the embassy’s official website and social media channels contain no information about recruitment. StopFake reached out to the embassy for clarification, and on November 24, the embassy confirmed that the posters are fraudulent.
“We inform you that neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine nor the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea distributed such leaflets,” the Embassy stated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine also denied any involvement in the posters, describing the circulation as a deliberate disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Ukraine.
“We officially refute this latest Russian deception—neither the MFA of Ukraine nor the Embassy in the Republic of Korea distributed such leaflets. This is not the first instance of Russian fabrication; similar cases have recently surfaced in other countries, reflecting a coordinated campaign to discredit Ukraine,” said Heorhii Tykhyi, the MFA’s official spokesperson.
Previously, StopFake also debunked claims that the International Legion was allegedly recruiting Germans through leaflets promising “revenge against Russians.”
