S’Korea President Faces Israel Backlash Over Video Post, Holocaust Reference

South Korea’s President, Lee Jae-myung, has drawn sharp criticism from the Israeli government after sharing a 2024 video showing Israeli soldiers pushing a body off a building in the occupied West Bank.

The post, shared on X triggered a rare diplomatic spat between Seoul and Tel Aviv, despite over six decades of bilateral relations.

“We need to check if this is true, and if it is, we should find out what measures were taken,” Lee wrote, while referencing the footage.

In the same post, the South Korean leader said there was “no difference” between wartime killings, the holocaust, and the sexual enslavement of Korean women under Japan’s colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

The Holocaust reference provoked a swift response from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which described the remarks as “unacceptable.”

“The remarks by the President of Korea, Lee Jae Myung, including the trivialization of the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, are unacceptable and warrant strong condemnation,” the ministry said in a post on Saturday.

It further accused Lee of amplifying outdated and misleading information.

“For some strange reason, [he] chose to dig up a story from 2024 and to cite a fake account that falsely presented it as a current event,” the statement added.

According to the ministry, the incident had occurred during an operation in which Israeli soldiers faced “direct and immediate threats to their lives” and had been “thoroughly investigated and addressed two years ago,” though no details were provided.

“Mr. President, it’s always better to check before posting,” it added.

However, Lee later clarified that the video was authentic and dated back to September 2024, noting that it had drawn condemnation from the United States at the time.

“International humanitarian law must be abided by under any circumstances, and human dignity must also be kept as an irreconcilable top priority value,” he wrote in a follow-up post.

According to reports, residents of Qabatya, near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, filmed Israeli soldiers throwing what appeared to be lifeless bodies from a building on September 19, 2024.

On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces said it had killed four militants during a “counterterrorism operation” in the area.

Responding to the footage at the time, the military described it as a “serious incident that does not coincide with IDF values and the expectations from IDF soldiers,” adding that it was under review.

Under international law, armed forces are required to treat the remains of enemy combatants with dignity and return them to their families. A Palestinian official had described the handling of the bodies as “barbaric.”

Israel has faced increasing international scrutiny over its military operations in Gaza and strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, though criticism from East Asian leaders has remained relatively rare.

Despite the backlash, Lee appeared to stand by his remarks. On Saturday, he shared a report on Israel’s response without directly addressing the government.

“It’s disappointing that one does not even once reflect on the criticisms from the people around the world who are suffering and struggling from constant anti-human rights and anti-international law actions,” he said.

“When I am in pain, others feel that pain just as deeply.”

In an apparent effort to ease tensions, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry later expressed regret over what it described as a misunderstanding.

Lee’s comments, it said, were “an expression of his convictions regarding universal human rights rather than an opinion on any specific issue,” while also extending “profound condolences” to Holocaust victims.

On Sunday, the president reiterated his stance.

“The sovereignty of each country and universal human rights must be respected, and aggressive war must be denied,” Lee wrote.

“Respect must be earned through respect.”

Israel has yet to respond to his latest remarks.