South Korea and Israel signal end of dispute after exchange on X
Following controversy over South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s post on X referencing an alleged 2024 video from the West Bank and comparing Israeli military actions to the Holocaust and comfort women abuse under Japan’s colonial rule, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the dispute has been resolved and that a senior Israeli official accepted Seoul’s explanation of the comments, Reuters reported.
Context
The dispute between South Korea and Israel was triggered by Lee’s post on X on April 10, sharing a video of Israeli soldiers pushing a body off a building’s roof in the West Bank, writing that he had to fact-check the material and see what measures were taken in case it was true. The president also compared the actions of the Israeli military to the Holocaust, wartime crimes and comfort women in Korea under Japan’s colonial rule. In the next post, Lee confirmed that the incident occurred in September 2024, noting that the U.S. had described it as «deeply disturbing» and that Israel had conducted related investigations and taken measures, while calling for respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.
On April 11, in response to the post with a shared video, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused Lee of «trivialization of the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel,» citing a reportedly fake account and ignoring terror attacks against Israeli citizens. The post concluded with a recommendation to fact-check the information before posting. The ministry also emphasized that the incident occurred during an anti-terror operation, when Israeli soldiers were under immediate threat to their lives, and was thoroughly investigated and addressed two years ago.
Lee made another post expressing his disappointment with the continued disregard for human rights and international law, without addressing Israel’s Foreign Ministry directly, followed by a post from the South Korean Foreign Ministry stating that Lee’s remarks targeted universal human rights rather than expressing an «opinion on any specific issue.» The ministry also reaffirmed its opposition to all forms of violence and anti-humanitarian acts, including acts of terrorism pointed out by Israel, as well as empathy for Israel’s suffering from the Holocaust, and extended its condolences to the victims.
However, Lee made another post on X on April 12, addressing human rights, national interests and territorial disputes, emphasizing that sovereignty, international law and human rights must be respected and that aggressive war is unacceptable under international norms.
