This file image shows Rhee Keun, a Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jun. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Rhee Keun, a South Korean volunteer fighter for Ukraine, was sentenced on Tuesday to a suspended jail term on charges of illegally entering Ukraine, defying a state travel ban to the war-stricken country.
The Navy SEAL-turned-YouTuber entered Ukraine to join the Russia-Ukraine war as a volunteer fighter in March 2022, and returned home three months later with knee injuries sustained in action.
He was subsequently indicted on charges of passport law violations for defying the state travel ban to Ukraine imposed due to safety concerns arising from its war with Russia.
The YouTuber was additionally charged with hitting a motorcycle in Seoul with his vehicle in July of that year and leaving the scene without taking post-accident measures.
On Tuesday, an appellate bench of the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Rhee to a suspended prison term of 1 1/2 years, upholding a lower court’s ruling.
(Yonhap)
