A, a private first class in the Marine Corps, illegally left the country while on leave claiming to join the legion of foreign volunteers fighting for Ukraine. On April 25, A returned to the Incheon International Airport, about a month after he left the country on March 21.

A had been staying at a refugee camp in Poland after he was denied entry at a border check point between Poland and Ukraine.

On April 25, the Marine Corps investigation team announced, “We secured private first class A, who deserted and went overseas on Monday, March 21. We arrested him after he was returned in custody today.” They also said, “We will question him on the details of how he came to desert and take strict action according to the law and regulations.”

The Marine Corps military police arrested private first class A of the headquarters company of the 1st Marine Division at the airport and will request an arrest warrant. A will be transported to Pohang, where his unit is located, and be questioned by military investigators.

Earlier, after A was denied entry to Ukraine, he refused to respond to the persuasion by a team of Marine Corps military police that was dispatched. The military investigators worried that A might try to sneak into Ukraine, but A went to a refugee camp and applied for refugee status at the Polish government, according to a defense ministry official.

During all this, A reported his status in an open chatroom and wrote that he would sit for an interview if the media outlet paid a stated price for the interview. He also opened a channel on YouTube titled, Uk Marine, when he was in the refugee camp.

He suffered challenges after the military investigative authorities shut down his bank account. His acquaintances persuaded him to return to Korea, and A expressed his intention to give himself up to the Marine Corps military police. The military police sent investigators to Poland and returned with A. In this process, A reportedly demanded a business class seat for his return flight. Since A claimed problems in the barracks as one of the reasons he deserted, military investigators are expected to verify the facts in this area, too.