By Kim Hak-sun
The war started when Russia with its convoy of Z-painted tanks and armaments invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine, on Feb. 24. The fierce fighting has been going on for more than two months now and the whole world has been watching what is happening in the country through various news networks and social media platforms.
It is heartbreaking to see the graphic images every day. In particular, the Russian atrocities in Bucha, Kramatorsk and Mariupol have been incredibly disturbing.
The world has been condemning the carnage while becoming more united.
While providing military, financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, countries have been imposing sanctions too, not only at the state-to-state level but also at the individual level, in particular on Russia's oligarchs.
Russia is accused of war crimes, but Russia denies them all, saying that they are staged acts. In return, U.S. President Joe Biden said, "Putin should be held accountable for war crimes in Ukraine."
Many experts assure us that it will be possible to bring war criminals to justice when all the evidence, including satellite images, radio transmissions and videos, on all the platforms available in this digital age, are submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
According to reports, the U.N. voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, and the U.N., along with the Red Cross, helped about 100 people escape from the besieged Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol recently.
Nevertheless, people including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pope Francis, question the purpose of the U.N., saying that the U.N. is not functioning effectively for world security and peace and that the organization needs major reforms.
About 70 years ago, Korea was in a similar situation to what Ukraine is now facing. When I was young, my mother used to tell us her testimony about the 1950-53 Korean War. My father went to fight on the front and my mom stayed with her one-year-old toddler, my elder sister, and my two young uncles fled Seoul to go down to the port city of Busan for safety.
The family started walking toward the south and miraculously managed to get on an evacuees' jam-packed train along the way. She described so vividly how cold the weather was, how many meals they had to miss, how many people died around them on the way and how painful the journey was.
North Korea invaded South Korea, crossing the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. Upon learning of the invasion, on June 27, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) "passed two emergency resolutions condemning the North Korean invasion and requesting sanctions against it." It happened at the request of the United States and in the absence of the Soviet Union.
Then in September, the UNSC recommended that "member nations furnish aid to South Korea." General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme U.N. commander, started "directing the joint military forces of 16 nations in Korea" to fight against the invaders.
North Korea pushed extremely ill-equipped South Korea all the way down to the Busan area in a few days. Then, Gen. MacArthur executed the historic Incheon landing, which became a game-changer in that war.
The Korean War lasted three years, but unfortunately, the two Koreas are still at war technically. Nevertheless, South Korea was very fortunate to get military assistance in time from the United Nations "to push up North Korea across the 38th parallel line to keep democracy intact."
Gen. MacArthur's victory at Incheon was a pivotal moment and his words sum up perfectly the importance of that stage in the war.
"By the grace of merciful providence, our forces fighting under the standard of that greatest hope and inspiration of mankind, the United Nations, have liberated this ancient capital city of Korea. It has been freed from the despotism of communist rule and its citizens once more have the opportunity for that immutable concept of life which holds invincibly to the primacy of individual liberty and personal dignity …"
Despite continuous Russian bombardment, Ukraine seems to be standing firm as a state, functioning fairly well under resolute leadership and with its courageous people. Ukrainians say that they will fight for their country to the end.
Some military experts say that this war may last months or years. Ukrainians crying out for help, as seen in Zelenskyy's speeches, including one given to the South Korean parliament, more weapons and financial support are needed to save lives and defend democracy.
This Ukraine crisis is also creating global implications, which concerns us all in various ways. While helping Ukraine do well in the next phase of the war, countries should keep making their utmost efforts to end the war, leading Russia to the diplomatic table as soon as possible.
Finally, I want to say to the Ukrainian people that we, the morally obligated, are aware of what is going on in the Eastern European nation and we are with them, hoping for the best.
Kim Hak-sun (hskim9@hotmail.com) holds a Ph.D. in international studies and is an adjunct professor of Korean studies at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
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It is heartbreaking to see the graphic images every day. In particular, the Russian atrocities in Bucha, Kramatorsk and Mariupol have been incredibly disturbing.
The world has been condemning the carnage while becoming more united.
While providing military, financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, countries have been imposing sanctions too, not only at the state-to-state level but also at the individual level, in particular on Russia's oligarchs.
Russia is accused of war crimes, but Russia denies them all, saying that they are staged acts. In return, U.S. President Joe Biden said, "Putin should be held accountable for war crimes in Ukraine."
Many experts assure us that it will be possible to bring war criminals to justice when all the evidence, including satellite images, radio transmissions and videos, on all the platforms available in this digital age, are submitted to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
According to reports, the U.N. voted to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, and the U.N., along with the Red Cross, helped about 100 people escape from the besieged Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol recently.
Nevertheless, people including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Pope Francis, question the purpose of the U.N., saying that the U.N. is not functioning effectively for world security and peace and that the organization needs major reforms.
About 70 years ago, Korea was in a similar situation to what Ukraine is now facing. When I was young, my mother used to tell us her testimony about the 1950-53 Korean War. My father went to fight on the front and my mom stayed with her one-year-old toddler, my elder sister, and my two young uncles fled Seoul to go down to the port city of Busan for safety.
The family started walking toward the south and miraculously managed to get on an evacuees' jam-packed train along the way. She described so vividly how cold the weather was, how many meals they had to miss, how many people died around them on the way and how painful the journey was.
North Korea invaded South Korea, crossing the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. Upon learning of the invasion, on June 27, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) "passed two emergency resolutions condemning the North Korean invasion and requesting sanctions against it." It happened at the request of the United States and in the absence of the Soviet Union.
Then in September, the UNSC recommended that "member nations furnish aid to South Korea." General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme U.N. commander, started "directing the joint military forces of 16 nations in Korea" to fight against the invaders.
North Korea pushed extremely ill-equipped South Korea all the way down to the Busan area in a few days. Then, Gen. MacArthur executed the historic Incheon landing, which became a game-changer in that war.
The Korean War lasted three years, but unfortunately, the two Koreas are still at war technically. Nevertheless, South Korea was very fortunate to get military assistance in time from the United Nations "to push up North Korea across the 38th parallel line to keep democracy intact."
Gen. MacArthur's victory at Incheon was a pivotal moment and his words sum up perfectly the importance of that stage in the war.
"By the grace of merciful providence, our forces fighting under the standard of that greatest hope and inspiration of mankind, the United Nations, have liberated this ancient capital city of Korea. It has been freed from the despotism of communist rule and its citizens once more have the opportunity for that immutable concept of life which holds invincibly to the primacy of individual liberty and personal dignity …"
Despite continuous Russian bombardment, Ukraine seems to be standing firm as a state, functioning fairly well under resolute leadership and with its courageous people. Ukrainians say that they will fight for their country to the end.
Some military experts say that this war may last months or years. Ukrainians crying out for help, as seen in Zelenskyy's speeches, including one given to the South Korean parliament, more weapons and financial support are needed to save lives and defend democracy.
This Ukraine crisis is also creating global implications, which concerns us all in various ways. While helping Ukraine do well in the next phase of the war, countries should keep making their utmost efforts to end the war, leading Russia to the diplomatic table as soon as possible.
Finally, I want to say to the Ukrainian people that we, the morally obligated, are aware of what is going on in the Eastern European nation and we are with them, hoping for the best.
Kim Hak-sun (hskim9@hotmail.com) holds a Ph.D. in international studies and is an adjunct professor of Korean studies at the University of Maryland Global Campus.
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