A giant 15-meter banner hung vertically on the wall of the Russian Embassy building in central Seoul reads "Victory Will Be Ours." South Korea's foreign ministry requested the banner's removal, a call rejected by the Russian Embassy. Yonhap
Russia has launched a form of cognitive warfare on South Korean soil, striving to justify its invasion of Ukraine by influencing Korean public opinion. A giant 15-meter banner was hung vertically on the wall of the Russian Embassy building in central Seoul. It reads “Victory Will Be Ours,” a slogan used by the Soviet Union during World War II.
After beginning its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian government repurposed the phrase as war propaganda, glorifying the invasion as a defensive response to external threats. Through this messaging, Russia seeks to portray its prolonged war as something akin to the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.
It remains unclear exactly when the banner was installed or how long it has been displayed. What is clear is that it has become a diplomatic headache for the Lee Jae Myung administration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the banner “unacceptable” and formally requested that the Russian Embassy remove it from display.
The Russian Embassy, however, turned a deaf ear to the host government’s request.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has killed hundreds of thousands of people — both soldiers and civilians — and left countless others wounded. This bloodshed cannot be justified. Displaying a banner that glorifies and legitimizes Russia’s invasion is, in itself, an act of violence. For Ukrainians living in Korea, many of whom have loved ones living in fear back home, the slogan is a cruel provocation. It tears open wounds for those who have lost loved ones. Other Europeans residing in Korea are likely to feel deeply disturbed by the Russian Embassy’s blatant display as well.
South Koreans, too, find the banner intrusive. The war in Ukraine is no longer “a blaze across the river,” as the old Korean saying describes a distant tragedy irrelevant to one’s own affairs. South Korea has unintentionally become a stakeholder in the war since North Korea dispatched its own troops to fight alongside Russian forces. Since the first deployment, more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers — many believed to be in their early 20s — have been sent to the battlefield, and a significant number of them have been killed.
Through its direct involvement, the North Korean military has gained valuable combat experience, particularly in modern warfare tactics, including the growing importance of drones. At the same time, North Korea and Russia have effectively revived their Cold War-era alliance through troop deployments and North Korean exports of artillery shells.
Russian Ambassador to South Korea Georgy Zinoviev further inflamed controversy by publicly defending North Korea. During a meeting with Korean journalists, he praised North Korean soldiers for their “remarkable role” in liberating the Kursk region from Ukrainian occupation, adding that he would never forget their “greatness.” His remarks were wholly inappropriate.
More than a week later, controversy surrounding the Russian Embassy’s war-glorifying slogan erupted in the heart of the South Korean capital. The giant banner — colored in the Russian flag’s red, white and blue — is not merely an eyesore. It is unacceptable. The display provokes visceral disgust among Koreans and Europeans alike, as it defends Russia’s blatant invasion of Ukraine and the killing of countless civilians, not to mention soldiers.
Source: Korea Times News
