Seoul: The Russian Embassy in Seoul has decided to cancel an external event initially planned to commemorate Defender of the Fatherland Day, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of Russia's war with Ukraine. The event was scheduled for Tuesday near the embassy's building in central Seoul but was converted into an internal gathering at the last moment.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the specific reasons for the event's cancellation remain unclear. However, there are interpretations suggesting that the decision was influenced by negative external perceptions surrounding the event. Recently, the embassy sparked controversy by displaying a banner on its building that read "Victory will be ours" in Russian, a phrase linked to World War II but criticized for its associations with the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Despite the cancellation of the external event, South Korean civic activists and some Russian individuals held a one-person protest in front of the embassy. Hong Jeong-sik, the head of the civic group Hwalbindan, was among the protesters. He displayed a sign that read "Stop Putin. Stop War," and chanted slogans such as "Take down the ugly banner" and "The Republic of Korea opposes war."