South Korea’s president has sparked criticism from the Israeli government after sharing on social media a 2024 video allegedly showing Israeli soldiers pushing a body off a building in the occupied West Bank.
In a post on X on Friday, President Lee Jae Myung called for verification of the footage, saying: “We need to check if this is true, and if it is, we should find out what measures were taken.” The comments triggered a rare diplomatic dispute between two countries that have maintained relations for around 60 years.
Lee added that there was “no difference” between wartime killings, the Holocaust, and the sexual slavery of Korean women under Japanese colonial rule, a comparison that particularly drew criticism from Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded on Saturday, calling his remarks “unacceptable” and accusing him of “trivializing the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.” It also claimed Lee had relied on an outdated or misleading source and said the 2024 incident had already been investigated following an Israeli military operation.
The ministry further stated that the soldiers involved were operating under immediate threat at the time and said the case had been handled internally, without providing details of the outcome. It added: “Mr. President, it’s always better to check before posting.”
Lee later clarified that the footage referred to a real incident from September 2024, which had also been condemned by the United States, and reiterated that international humanitarian law and human dignity must be upheld under all circumstances.
According to reports at the time, Israeli forces killed several militants during an operation near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, and footage appeared to show bodies being thrown from a building. The Israeli military said it was reviewing what it called a “serious incident” that did not reflect its values.
Under international law, the treatment of enemy combatants’ bodies must be respectful and allow for their return to families, and the incident was widely condemned by Palestinian officials.
The dispute has stood out diplomatically, as East Asian leaders rarely publicly criticize Israel so directly, and South Korea has traditionally maintained generally positive relations with the country.
Following backlash, South Korea’s foreign ministry said Israel had “misunderstood the intent” of Lee’s remarks, framing them as a broader statement on human rights rather than commentary on a specific conflict, while also expressing condolences for Holocaust victims.
Lee later reinforced his position, writing that national sovereignty and universal human rights must be respected and that “aggressive war must be denied,” adding: “Respect must be earned through respect.”
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