Lee Criticizes Israeli Military for Three Days: "The Core Issue Is Pointing Out War Crimes"

Strong Remarks via Social Media
Actively Refuting Daily Criticism of a "Diplomatic Disaster"
"The Sovereignty of Each Country and Universal Human Rights Must Be Respected"
An Issue for the International Community, Including Israel, to Address Tog

"You would think Israel might reflect at least once on the criticism from people around the world who are suffering due to its relentless anti-human rights and anti-international law actions, but it is disappointing." (Posted on X (formerly Twitter) after the Israeli Foreign Ministry's statement on April 11)

Controversy continued throughout the weekend over President Lee Jaemyung's social media posts regarding the Israeli military. President Lee posted a total of four messages: two posts on April 10 containing the controversial video, followed by additional related messages on April 11 and April 12. While there was confusion over the background and content of his first post, some experts argue that criticism framing the incident as a 'diplomatic disaster' is excessive, considering that the event in question constitutes an actual 'war crime' and that civilian casualties have been mounting in the recent Middle East conflict. Given the ongoing civilian losses in the current Middle East conflict, the push to brand this as a diplomatic catastrophe has been criticized as an overreaction.

Yonhap News Agency

The controversy began on April 10 when President Lee shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) that allegedly showed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) torturing a Palestinian child and then throwing them from a rooftop. He wrote, "We need to find out if this is true and, if so, what measures have been taken," while also referencing forced mobilization of comfort women, the Holocaust, and wartime killings. As questions arose about the timing and context of the video, President Lee posted again the same day, stating that the footage depicted "an actual incident that occurred in September 2024." He stressed, "International humanitarian law must be upheld under any circumstances, and human dignity is a non-negotiable, top priority." In response, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on April 11, criticizing President Lee's remarks as "unacceptable and deserving strong condemnation," particularly since they could be seen as trivializing the Holocaust on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

President Lee continued to push back. On April 11, he responded to the Israeli criticism by posting, "You would think Israel might reflect at least once on the criticism from people around the world who are suffering due to its relentless anti-human rights and anti-international law actions, but it is disappointing." On April 12, he wrote, "The sovereignty and universal human rights of all countries must be respected, and our Constitutional spirit and international consensus dictate that wars of aggression must be rejected." He added, "Empathy applies not only to individuals but also to inter-state relations. The lives and property of others are as precious as my own." He argued that the universal values of human rights must be considered not only in South Korea, but also by the international community—including Israel. Seemingly addressing opposition parties and some media outlets criticizing him for a 'diplomatic disaster' or 'diplomatic discourtesy,' he wrote, "There are many who, while engaging in acts of betrayal, do not realize that harming the national interest for personal gain is wrong." The government also responded quickly. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its official X account on April 11, pointed out that the Israeli Foreign Ministry had "misunderstood the intent" of the President's post.

Reactions to President Lee's SNS controversy are divided. The People Power Party continued its criticism for three days, calling it a "two-year-old incident," a "diplomatic self-harm act," and a "diplomatic disaster." In contrast, voices from the diplomatic and security communities offered a different perspective. Kim Junhyung, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Security Special Committee of the Innovation Party for the People, evaluated President Lee's remarks as "a warning against unacceptable war crimes based on universal human values," and criticized Israel's protest as "a classic case of turning the tables." On April 12, former First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choi Jongkun wrote on X, "Is it really such a big problem for the President of the Republic of Korea to say something about state violence occurring in the international community?" A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told The Asia Business Daily, "The Israeli side understands the President's basic thoughts and intentions, and we are also well aware of Israel's sensitivity regarding the Holocaust," adding, "Diplomatic communication is ongoing as always."

Meanwhile, it was confirmed that the South Korean government abstained from voting on a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution adopted on March 27, which pointed out the possibility that Israeli policy and military actions may have violated international law and called for expanded humanitarian support for Palestine. South Korea also abstained from a similar resolution last year. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, "This decision was made after comprehensively considering our basic position on universal human rights, the content of the resolution, and the stance of countries with similar views," adding, "We judged that the resolution was heavily biased toward criticism of Israel and did not address human rights violations by all parties in a balanced manner."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.