Ukrainian Embassy commemorates a year of war through photo exhibition

A visitor takes a picture of photographs showing life in Ukraine at a photo exhibition "The Year of Resilience," co-hosted by the Embassy of Ukraine in Korea and the delegation of the European Union in Korea, at the Seoul Square building in central Seoul, Friday. The exhibit, commemorating the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, runs through March 10. Yonhap

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Photos of Ukrainian civilians and servicemen stopped office workers as they returned from lunch in Seoul on Friday. The photos, displayed in the lobby of the Seoul Square building, showed a year of conflict in Ukraine, from an image of Ukrainians taking emergency shelter at a subway station during Russian missile attacks to an image showing Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol.

The Embassy of Ukraine in Korea, in collaboration with the delegation of the European Union in Korea, is hosting a photo exhibition commemorating the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the lobby of the office building in front of Seoul Station until March 10.

Titled "The Year of Resilience," the exhibit showcases the lives of Ukrainians during the war and their unity in the face of hardship.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko expressed gratitude for those who showed solidarity with Ukraine during this time.

"As the world marks one year since Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine and its partners unite to once again demonstrate their readiness to defend their values of freedom and democracy," Ponomarenko said during the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Friday.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko, left, delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of "The Year of Resilience," a photography exhibition commemorating the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the Seoul Square building in central Seoul, Friday. On the right is Ambassador of the European Union Maria Castillo-Fernandez. Yonhap

"The year that passed has shown that Ukraine is a stronghold of freedom, a nation run by and for the people. We will never give up on our democracy, human rights, respect for the rule of law, our history and nationhood. The price the Ukrainian people pay daily in this fight is incredibly high. However, we will fight for as long as it takes, as we have no choice but to win this war."

The ambassador noted the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of a resolution on the "Principles of Charter of the UN underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine" with 141 supporting votes Thursday.

"We are grateful to every member-state for their votes reconfirming their commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," he said.

Ponomarenko said the photo exhibit depicts daily life for Ukrainians in wartime, hoping to promote a better understanding of what Ukraine has gone through and what must be prevented from happening ever again.

"Daily missile attacks, destroyed civilian infrastructure, shelled fertile fields; the pain of this experience cannot be described in words," he said.

"Inhuman efforts of the bravest defenders, sleepless nights of mothers, huge losses and terrible trials for our children. Still, as you will find in these photos, even at such terrible times there is room for humanity. Despite everything, Ukrainians are united in their desire to live, develop, learn, create, inspire and help. All this is only possible in a free state. We will fight for that."

Visitors pass by "The Year of Resilience," a photo exhibition commemorating the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the Seoul Square building in central Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Yulia Kaplan, third secretary at the Ukrainian Embassy, said the embassy selected the photos in cooperation with the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The photos come from various sources from news and official photos to professional and amateur photographers on the battlefield as well as in other parts of Ukraine.

She said numerous Ukrainian photographers capture wartime life through photography and share it on social media daily. Dmytro Kozatskyi is a soldier and photographer, who documented the siege of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol in May 2022.

"He took all these photos from Azovstal and he and other Ukrainian defenders spent some time in Russian captivity," she explained.

Photographer Kostiantyn Polishchuk captured Anton Drobovych, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, giving a speech to Ukraine House Davos via Zoom last May.

The photos also depict the ongoing nature of the war, with one particularly poignant image showing a 23-year-old girl sitting amidst the ruins of her home in Dnipro as her parents were killed when a Russian missile struck their apartment building in January.

Kaplan became emotional when she explained the photos of the attacked government administrative building in Kharkiv, her hometown and Ukraine's second-largest city.

"These are the missiles that hit my Kharkiv," she said.

Ambassador of European Union Maria Castillo-Fernandez, right, speaks during the opening ceremony of "The Year of Resilience," a photography exhibition commemorating the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the Seoul Square building in central Seoul, Friday. Second from right is Ukrainian Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko. Yonhap

U.S. Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg, who attended the photo exhibit, wrote "There is no higher aspiration than freedom" on Twitter. He emphasized that "freedom is not free" especially on the Korean peninsula, referring to the phrase engraved on the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.

He also thanked the EU delegation and the Ukrainian Embassy for "reminding us that one year later, the fight for freedom continues in Ukraine."