S. KOREAN SOLDIER GOES MISSING IN POLAND

[Anchor Lead]

A South Korean Marine Corps soldier who illegally left for Poland to fight in the war in Ukraine has gone missing. He was denied entry and stayed at a checkpoint before going AWOL. Authorities are tracing his location.

[Pkg]

The South Korean Marine Corps soldier who wanted to volunteer to fight in the war in Ukraine was denied entry to the country. He stayed at a checkpoint in Poland and left it in the wee hours of March 23rd local time. Since then his whereabouts have been unknown. A foreign ministry official says the man cannot be reached and tracing his location is deemed difficult. However, he's unlikely to have entered Ukraine, as he already had been denied entry once. Sources say the man posted his route on a social media chat service after arriving in Poland. It was also made apparent that the AWOL soldier had complaints about a situation in the Korean military, alluding to an unreasonable circumstance. The man left for Warsaw, Poland via Incheon International Airport on March 21st. He was on leave at the time, but had no permission to travel overseas. Under the Military Service Act, active servicepeople must receive official permission to travel abroad. The man was denied entry to Ukraine after South Korea's diplomatic authorities took measures to stop him. He stayed overnight at a checkpoint. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tracing the soldier in cooperation with the Polish government. The military is using his social media chats to find out why he left the country illegally.