Ukrainian resident of Korea speaks out

Oleksii Omelianovych drinks beer with his mom in Kvasy, Ukraine, in January. / Courtesy of Oleksii Omelianovych

By Arlo Matisz

Oleksii Omelianovych comes across as very friendly and earnest, managing to convey honest humor even while his home country is under invasion. He seems more like a new friend you've made at your dormitory than the very accomplished researcher he has become, and maybe that's because he became one in so short a time.

Leaving his small hometown at just 13 to attend a science high school with its own dormitory in Kyiv, he entered adulthood early, entering Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv three years later. He describes pleasant memories of home, but his early ambition becomes apparent as he explains what brought him to Korea.

"There was an opportunity found by my brother (a student at KAIST at the time) to do a summer internship at Chungnam National University, and for me as an ordinary Ukrainian dude, it was an amazing chance to go abroad, especially to Korea," he says during an interview. "It's half the world apart from Ukraine… new culture, new people, new buildings, everything. Without hesitation I took the opportunity."

Oleksii was fortunate to meet his future adviser, a professor that had some fairly progressive ideas for research collaboration. This professor believed in the benefits of international students working together with Korean researchers. The use of English with its importance as the international language of research and publication, combined with ― in Oleksii's words ― the really strong technologies being developed in Korea, would benefit the research environment for all involved.

"The way of thinking, how I analyze the problem and see the solution, may be really different from a guy with a different background and education. I believe exchange and this synergy between ideas is really amazing and could lead to something really fruitful and productive," he explains.

Oleksii gushes about the experience. "I really enjoyed this summer in Korea, and wanted the dream to continue." And it did. After completing his bachelor's degree back in Ukraine, he returned to Korea for his Master's degree and PhD. He is now a postdoc in Chungnam's Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry working on the next generation of solar cells.

Oleksii Omelianovych visits the Motherland Monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 2019. / Courtesy of Oleksii Omelianovych

Throughout the interview, Oleksii pauses frequently to check his phone. The civil alarm siren was activated in his mother's town, and he is worried for her. When asked whether he wants to return to take up arms against the invader, he looks torn.

"To be honest, I have an emotional and rational part. So emotional part, yes, I really want to go back, and take a weapon and fight for my country, but from the rational point of view, I don't know one thing about military or being a soldier. I was studying my whole life," he says. "I believe that even now that I can help more efficiently from here by donating to the army. Also going to protests in Seoul, asking the Korean government to do something, and spreading the message."

Prior to the invasion, did he think that Putin would actually attack? He still seems shocked.

"I'm an engineer, so any decision I take after rational analysis of the consequences…I address this issue with the same logic," he says. "I do not understand; why is he doing this?"

His tone begins shifting from incredulous to determined. "Alright, his aim is to destroy Ukraine's military, right? So he kills all our soldiers, he goes and changes the flags on government buildings, and then what, all Ukrainians become Russians, automatically? I don't think so! I am from eastern Ukraine and my first language is Russian but I am not Russian and I will never be. I carry Ukrainian culture. I speak Ukrainian. I am Ukrainian and nothing could ever change that!"

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As he speaks, it isn't hard to see parallels between his home country's struggle and the historical plight of his host country, which struggled for independence itself during the 1910-45 Japanese occupation.

Addressing Putin's claims that Ukraine was created by Russia, he manages a laugh. "All right, he claimed that Ukraine was created by Russia, but this is a simple delusion and a tool of propaganda. Ukraine and Russia share a little bit of history, alright. The thing is that Russia's history is not as glorious or significant as they would like to think. Going back to history, Kyiv was founded in 482; Moscow was nowhere to be seen for another, what, 700 years?"

As he continues, his eyes harden.

"Throughout history, Russia has inflicted a lot of pain onto the Ukrainian nation ― Russia in its different forms, Imperial Russia, Soviet Russia, now it's the Russian Federation. I'm not going to tell you about every crime they've committed, but I'd like to put an emphasis on the cruelest one, which was the Holodomor, the great famine of 1932-33 under Josef Stalin. The Soviet Russians took the food stocks from ordinary Ukrainians and restricted their movements so they couldn't go and get food, ultimately starving more than 5 million Ukrainians to death."

He returns to Putin's claim on Ukraine.

"Russia has not created Ukraine. If anything, Russia did everything to remove Ukraine and its people from the world map. And they're still trying. It's never finished."

He has high praise for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has confounded any expectations people had for a comedian and actor as president of Ukraine by rallying his country against an overwhelming invader.

"I was one of those skeptics who didn't think he was going to do any good for our country, so I had little hopes for him, but to my surprise, he has shown he is a true patriot of the country, and I'm really proud to have such a leader."

Oleksii's sister-in-law is Russian and is under terrible stress, and he has numerous Russian friends who are supportive, but what does he think of the Russian people's responsibility for the war against Ukraine? His answers are thoughtful and expansive. "I believe there is a decent percentage of people who believe in the war, not as high as the Russian propaganda claims… You can never generalize. If you ask me if Russians are guilty, I'd say to some extent. Those who fight for their country, in protests, those people are truly innocent. For this war to be over, it's not enough for Russians to protest for peace in Ukraine. They have to fight for their own country and fight the regime."

He details an exchange with a Korean taxi driver, who after learning Oleksii was Ukrainian, brought up the situation. Oleksii hadn't wanted to bring it up, but he corrected the driver and explained it's a war.

The driver agreed and said Putin was bad, but then went on to complain about his high gas prices. The driver's priorities frustrated him, but in a way, some of Oleksii's own research may help with this driver's problems.

Asked what he can do to help after the war, Oleksii replies, "I see it as not only helping my country, but helping the world." His response to a potential role in rebuilding refers to the Paris Climate Accord and the world's slow adaptation to the realities of climate change, an overture to international cooperation even in the face of the unprovoked invasion.

"Given that Russia will destroy all of our infrastructure and energy sector, we will need to get our energy from something. I think I could play a role in this. If Ukraine introduces some green energy policy, we don't need to rebuild those old coal and gas power plants. We can replace it with renewables."

As he said about his own university experience, maybe this could lead to something fruitful and productive. For a man from a nation with its back to the wall, Oleksii is determined to work on the larger problems ahead to help all of us.

Arlo Matisz is an economics professor at Chosun University and the host of GFN's talk show "face2face," which broadcasts from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday evenings.