President Lee Jae Myung presides over a meeting with senior presidential aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Israel has released two Korean nationals who were captured while trying to provide humanitarian aid for Gaza, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.
Their release came a day after President Lee Jae Myung criticized Israel for arresting the pair in violation of international norms, pointing to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and referring to him as a “war criminal,” in what was seen as an unusually direct remark at the highest diplomatic level.
“The Lee Jae Myung government expresses strong regret over Israel’s detention of our citizens following the seizure of the vessels. At the same time, it highly appreciates and welcomes Israel’s prompt release of our nationals,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a press briefing.
She referred to two Korean nationals, each aboard separate vessels seized by the Israeli navy in international waters, one near Cyprus on Monday and the other near Gaza on Tuesday.
