Jump to content

Ken Rhee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ken Rhee
이근
Born (1984-03-22) March 22, 1984 (age 40)
NationalitySouth Korea
EducationBachelor of Arts in Modern Languages and Literature, Virginia Military Institute
OccupationRepublic of Korea Navy
Years active2007–2014
Websiterokseal.net

Ken Rhee (born March 22, 1984) is a South Korean former soldier, businessman, and broadcaster, best known for participating in the Russian invasion of Ukraine as one of the international volunteers supporting the Ukrainian side, and the resulting controversy in South Korea, where upon his return he was accused of violating the law.

Life

[edit]

Born in Korea in 1984, he immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 3, and grew up in New York City and LA. He dreamed of becoming a Navy SEAL officer in the U.S. military, but he did not enter the Naval Academy because he did not have citizenship,[1] and after going to Virginia Military Institute, he decided to become a Navy officer in the Republic of Korea.

After graduating from Virginia Military Institute, he gave up his permanent residency and returned to Korea in 2007, commissioned as the 102nd officer of the Naval Academy Candidate(OCS), and served in DDH-976 and the Navy's Special Warfare Corps(UDT/SAL).[2] During his active career, he completed various special forces training courses of the Korean and U.S. military with excellent performance, and he was a soldier with various practical experience by dispatching a number of overseas troops and participating in military operations.

After being discharged from the military as a captain in 2014, he served in the PMC, served as an anti-terrorism and tactical shooting instructor in a number of military and police agencies, and worked in security and security-related positions at the US State Department and the UN.

He served as executive director of MUSAT, a security and tactical consulting company, and became popular in 2020 by appearing in the YouTube web content "가짜사나이". Since then, he has left MUSAT and established ROKSEAL, a military security consulting company, and has been actively operating the YouTube channel "ROKSEAL" of the same name.

In March 2022, he participated in the Russia-Ukraine War as a member of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine (ILDU), a Ukrainian volunteer army, and returned to Korea in May 2022 after being injured while performing a combat mission.[3]

Career

[edit]
1. 2007–2014 (during active career)
year career
2007 Commissioned as officer of the 102nd Naval Cadet Corps (OCS)
2007 Completion of the Naval Education Command Combat Academy Sailing Elementary Military Class
2007–2008 Combat Information Assistant (DDH-976)
2008 Naval Special Warfare (UDT/SEAL) Special Warfare Training Course 54–1st Seat Completion
2008 Completed the Marine Corps Education and Training Corps basic airlift course
2008 Naval Special Warfare Group (UDT/SEAL) 1st Special Forces Battalion Air Operations Team (AIROPS) Commander
2008 Completion of Naval Special Warfare Group (UDT/SEAL) Maritime Counter-Terrorism Course (MCT)
2009–2010 Naval Special Warfare Group (UDT/SEAL) Special Mission Battalion (SMB) Company Commander
2009–2010 Cheonghae Unit 1st and 2nd Checkpoint Operations Team
2009–2010 Dispatch of combat troops to the waters off Somalia
2010 Completion of the Navy Special Warfare Team (UDT/SEAL) Special Operations Team Transfer Course (SDV).
2010–2011 Naval Special Warfare Group (UDT/SEAL) 1st Special Forces Battalion Undersea Operations Team (SDV) Company Commander
2011 Completed ROK-US Joint Special Operations Exchange Training (JCET)[4] US NAVY SEALS sniper course
2011 Completed the Special Operations Final Attack Controller Course (SOTAC)[5] at the Army Special Operations Command's Special Warfare School
2012 Completed the 294th US NAVY SEALS Beginner's Course (BUD/S)
2012 Completed the U.S. NAVY SEALS Officer Course (JOTC)
2013 Completed the 295th class of the U.S. NAVY SEALS Specialized Training Course (SQT)
2013 Completed the U.S. TACTICAL AIR OPERATIONS NAVY high-altitude descent course (HALO/HAHO)
2013 Completed U.S. SKYDIVE ELSINORE wingsuit descent course
2013–2014 Naval Special Warfare Group (UDT/SEAL) education and training battalion specialist training leader
2014 Navy Special Warfare Team (UDT/SEAL) Lieutenant Discharged
2. 2014–present (after discharge)
year career
2014–2018 TRIDENT TACTICS CEO
2014 Seoul Police Special Forces (SWAT KNP868) counter-terrorism and tactical shooting instructor
2015 Obtained certification as an instructor for the United States Skydiving Association (USPA) / Korea Skydiving Association (KPA) Accelerated Freefall Course (AFF)
2015 Obtained certification as an instructor for the United States Skydiving Association (USPA) / Korea Skydiving Association (KPA) two-person descent course (TANDEM)
2015–2016 Seoul Skydiving School Instructor
2015–2016 TRICELL INTERNATIONAL Overseas Business Director
2015 URBAN SHIELD[6] National Team (Joint Police Special Forces) Counter-Terrorism and Tactical Shooting Instructor
2015 Brazilian police special forces BOPE anti-terrorism and security instructor
2016 Air Force intelligence unit high-altitude descent instructor
2016– Naval intelligence unit high-altitude descent instructor
2016–2017 G4S military security company (PMC) team leader
2016–2017 PMC Iraq Combat Deployment
2017 Taiwanese police special forces, Haesoon Special Forces (CGA-STF)[7] counter-terrorism and tactical shooting instructor
2017–2018 SECURITY INVESTIGATOR, U.S. Department of State
2018 Marine Corps Special Reconnaissance Team (ROKMC RECON) counter-terrorism instructor
2018 Presidential Security Service (PSS) tactical shooting instructor
2018–2020 SECURITY OFFICER, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
2018–2020 MUSAT Executive Director
2019– SKY TACTICAL high altitude descent course (HALO/HAHO) director
2020– ROKSEAL CEO
2022– INTERNATIONAL LEGION OF DEFENSE OF UKRAINE[8]
2022 Participation in the Russian-Ukrainian War Volunteer Force

Awards

[edit]
Award Ceremony Year
Commendation from the Commander of Naval Operations Command 2008
Commendation from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 2009
Navy Chief of Staff Commendation 2010
Presidential Security Service Security Safety Training Center instructor appreciation certificate 2018

Published

[edit]
Book Title Publication date ISBN
ULTIMATUM: 죽어도 포기하지 않는 최강 멘탈의 기술》 July 21, 2021 9791130640150
Ken Rhee's Never Die Diary December 24, 2020 9791191043112

Controversy

[edit]

Controversy over Russia-Ukraine War

[edit]

After entering Ukraine

[edit]

Ukraine is a travel ban country that has been issued with a level 4 warning under the travel warning system since February 13, 2022 due to the war, so entering Ukraine without government permission can be punished according to the passport law. According to the Ukrainian Embassy in Korea, dozens of Koreans also expressed their intention to support volunteer troops at the embassy, and warned them not to enter Ukraine without permission. Ken Rhee said he would be punished for this.[9]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Ken Rhee, who entered the country without permission from March 6, participated in Ukraine, and said on March 17 that it was true that nine Korean nationals, including Ken Rhee, entered the country without permission, and that the remaining eight people would have participated in the war as volunteer soldiers, and explained that they were trying to confirm their whereabouts. Ken Rhee's Instagram account of him leaving for Ukraine to participate in the volunteer army was evidence, and he was accused by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of violating the passport law.[10]

After returning to Korea

[edit]

Ken Rhee left Warsaw Chopin Airport (Polish: Lotnisco Chopina w Warszawie) and returned home at 07:30 on May 27, 2022, through Incheon International Airport. Ken Rhee, who participated in the war as a foreigner for about 80 days, was accused of violating the passport law, was investigated by the police on June 10 after being quarantined to find out more about the charges, and most of the charges he committed were admitted.[11][12] The international criminal investigation unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Crime Investigation Unit sent Ken Rhee to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office without detention on June 14. The police admitted to violating the passport law and did not investigate the "pre-crime" or "crime of using explosives," which are applied when personally participating in other countries' combat actions, although they are likely to violate the passport law.[13]

Ken Rhee said that both knee cruciate ligaments were torn and he wanted to return to Ukraine after treatment. Ken Rhee said that while preparing to be punished for violating the law, he bravely fought on the battlefield by protecting people in the war as a volunteer army. During the war, not all volunteers receive citizenship, but the number of people who can receive citizenship is limited, and one of them is Ken Rhee himself. Nevertheless, Ken Rhee himself, who rejected his citizenship, is a Korean, so he said he would be punished according to the Korean court's ruling.[14][15] Ken Rhee said he reported and recorded war crimes, including the slaughter of civilians by Russian troops in Irpin while participating in the war in Kyiv and the South, and said that it would be a criminal act if he did not help Ukraine under such circumstances. Regarding his participation in the war in Ukraine, he said that it was his duty and "the fight between good and evil" to help Ukraine with a war against Russia, a powerful country that is different in character from other countries, which is a weak country. He said that the violation of the passport law was a traffic law,[16] and that he made the right decision based on his belief, even though he knew he could be punished for illegal activities, and that he had no regrets at all.[17][18][19]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "- YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  2. ^ "청해부대 영웅으로 돌아온 '특수전 전문가'". 아시아경제 (in Korean). 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  3. ^ To be precise, it belongs to the International Legion of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. Unlike other units of the International Legion under the Terrestrial Defense Forces, it is a special warfare unit separately organized by the ГУР (GUR), the intelligence service under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. International Legion of DIU
  4. ^ Joint Combined Exchange Training
  5. ^ An abbreviation for Special Operations Terminal Attack Controller, it can perform missions such as infiltrating deep into enemy territory, providing real-time intelligence on targets, directing aerial firepower to strike targets (air bombing), or inducing the dropping of aerial materials. It means qualifications and authority.
  6. ^ World Police Special Forces Tactical Competition. It is the world's largest comprehensive disaster/counter-terrorism training competition held every year in California, USA.
  7. ^ The Coast Guard Administration Special Task Force (CGA-STF) is a counter-terrorism unit under the Maritime Commission's Sea Order Reconnaissance and Defense Branch and is a unit similar to the Korean Coast Guard Special Task Force.
  8. ^ To be exact, it belongs to the International Legion of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. Unlike other units of the International Corps organized under the Territorial Defense Forces, it is a special operations unit separately organized into GUR (ГУР), the intelligence service under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.International Legion of DIU
  9. ^ 나, 성원. "이근 대위 "우크라 돕기 위해 얼마 전 출국…처벌 받겠다"". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  10. ^ "외교부 "이근 포함 한국인 9명 우크라이나 무단 입국"". The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  11. ^ Newsis (2022-05-27). "이근 "사람 보호하려", 참작될까…치료·격리 후 수사 속도". mobile.newsis.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  12. ^ 이, 승연 (2022-05-27). "우크라이나 의용대 합류 이근 귀국…치료 후 경찰 조사". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  13. ^ "'우크라 무단입국' 이근, 검찰 송치". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  14. ^ [풀영상] 이근, 참전 80일 만에 전격 귀국 "전쟁 안끝났기 때문에 돌아가야 한다", retrieved 2023-12-24
  15. ^ 보, 도국 (2022-05-27). "'우크라이나 참전' 이근 전 대위 오늘 새벽 귀국". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  16. ^ "'Crime not to help': South Korean ex-SEAL has no Ukraine regrets". France 24. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  17. ^ "이근 "나 같은 사람이 우크라 안 돕는 게 범죄" – 매일경제". 2022-08-04. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  18. ^ "우크라이나 참전 이근, 급박했던 전투와 전쟁의 참상". BBC News 코리아 (in Korean). 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  19. ^ ""Українці воюють, імпровізуючи". Ексспецпризначенець з Південної Кореї, який визволяє Україну, розповів, як тут ведуться бої". NV (in Ukrainian). 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2023-12-24.