Koreans Entering Korea to Escape Russian Bullets Say in Unison, "We Hate War"

Gwangju Goryeoin Village and Over 50 Groups Hold 'Peace Prayer' Campaign

"Only a Swift End to War Can Restore Stability for Fellow Koreans"

On the afternoon of the 3rd, officials from the Gwangju Koryoin Village and compatriots who recently escaped Ukraine due to the Russian invasion gathered at Damoa Children's Park in Wolgok-dong, Gwangsan-gu to carry out a 'Peace Prayer' campaign.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] “We hate war. Please stop the war. Please...”

At around 5:30 p.m. on the 3rd, Damoa Children's Park near the Goryeoin Village in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, was bustling with activity for the first time in a while.

Usually, this small park is relatively quiet due to COVID-19, but that day was different.

Recently, as Russia invaded Ukraine, compatriots who left their hometowns and came to South Korea, specifically to Gwangju Goryeoin Village, along with civic groups, gathered to hold a “Peace Prayer Campaign.”

About 50 people gathered here held the event under the theme “The Wind of Peace Blowing from Wolgok to Goryeoin Village and to Ukraine.”

Compatriots and families who recently entered the country after enduring difficult refugee lives, along with the Wolgok Eurasian Community (14 countries), prayed together for the end of the Ukraine war and peace.

A young girl holding tightly onto her grandfather’s and grandmother’s hands also caught attention.

She was Nam Anita (10), who arrived through Incheon International Airport on the 22nd of last month. Nam Anita fled from the ongoing gunfire zones, wandering through various parts of Ukraine, then crossed the border from the capital Kyiv to Budapest, Hungary, and boarded a flight to Korea.

She is the granddaughter of Nam Ruija, a Goryeoin compatriot from Ukraine residing in Goryeoin Village, and upon entering Korea, she came to live in Gwangju Goryeoin Village with her grandparents and father.

Nam Anita shouted, “War is bad. Many people die. My mother went to Spain, and I miss her a lot.”

Recalling her escape, she said, “The house I was living in was terribly destroyed by bombing, and when I arrived in the capital, many buildings were left with only their frames,” lowering her head, “It was a terrible sight I never want to remember again.”

Still, perhaps thanks to the care from her grandparents and father here, she showed a bright smile without a wrinkle.

She seems to like living in Korea quite a bit, as she is currently preparing documents and getting ready to enroll in school.

She said, “After living in Korea, I want to live here continuously,” adding, “I want to learn Korean, enter school, study, and make many friends.”

The couple Imikaelo (41) and Kim Yelona (38, female), who escaped the powder keg of Europe and stepped on “grandfather’s homeland,” were also present.

Imikaelo, the husband who has been working as a technician in Gwangju for several months, heard news that the front line was expanding to southern Mykolaiv, where his family lives, and immediately bought a plane ticket to return.

On the 7th of last month, the couple tearfully reunited in Romania and, after waiting more than two weeks at the local Korean embassy, were able to obtain a short-term visit visa (C3) and escape the crisis.

Since they are temporarily staying at a friend’s house, their son (14) and daughter (10) were left at a sibling’s home in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province.

Imikaelo said, “It’s too cramped for four family members to live in a one-room apartment, so we are living apart temporarily,” and lamented, “Almost all the money we had saved was spent on the evacuation.”

He added, “Once we have the financial means, we will find a house where we can live together,” and said, “If the children in Ansan are okay, we plan to settle in Korea.”

After overcoming the immediate hurdle of the short-term visa, they plan to seek a rental house with the help of Goryeoin Village.

Those attending the campaign that day held signs with phrases such as “Please let us reunite with our beloved families” and “Please do not ignore our pain,” and shouted the slogan “We hate war” with one heart and one mind.

They appealed, “On the morning of February 24, we greeted our beloved families,” and “After that, our happy daily lives collapsed.”

They raised their voices, “Please help us to have dinner and give goodnight kisses to our beloved families again, which we could not do that day.”

Civic groups and Goryeoin Village officials said, “Only the quick end of the war can bring stability not only to the people of Ukraine but also to the local Goryeoin compatriots,” and “We plan to continue the campaign until the war ends to keep conveying their wishes to the world.”

Meanwhile, Goryeoin Village plans to continuously support compatriots’ entry into the country through fundraising activities while raising awareness of the horrific realities of war via social networking services (SNS) and other means.