Kim Ah-hyun, left, an activist who was detained by Israeli forces while aboard a Gaza aid flotilla, and later freed on Wednesday, together with Kim Dong-hyeon, right, another activist who participated in the flotilla, talks to reporters after arriving at the Incheon International Airport, Friday. YonhapTwo Korean nationals detained by Israeli forces after joining a Gaza-bound aid flotilla returned home Friday vowing to sail to the territory again, despite a government-imposed passport ban, setting the stage for a deepening legal and diplomatic confrontation that has polarized public opinion. Supporters argue that humanitarian aid work is a fundamental right and the passport cancellation was unjust, while critics claim the activists' actions place an undue burden on the state. Kim Ah-hyun, widely known by her activist name Haecho, and Kim Dong-hyeon arrived at Incheon International Airport at 6:24 a.m., after being freed from Israeli custody on Wednesday. The two, who were aboard different ships participating in the flotilla, were detained by Israeli forces in international waters on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.Speaking to reporters at the airport, Kim Ah-hyun said she was mistreated during her detention. “I was illegally abducted and imprisoned by Israel. The Israeli forces were furious. When I arrived at the prison, many people had already been beaten,” she said. “I can’t hear well out of one ear because I was beaten so badly.”It was her second detention by Israeli forces. She was previously held in October 2025 for similar activity and released after two days.She pledged to return regardless of the legal consequences, stressing that people in Gaza are dying from unrelenting bombardment and starvation.“I always have plans to visit the strip … until Gaza is freed, and I will be visiting isolated lands in Palestine and other countries,” she said. “I have the right to do whatever I want despite the government’s legal actions against my passport.”Korean President Lee Jae Myung openly criticized Israel on Wednesday for capturing the activists in international waters, while asking his aides to consider complying with an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.A screen capture from a video uploaded by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on X (formerly Twitter) shows activists, who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Captured from Itamar Ben-Gvir's X accountHer vow to return puts her on a collision course with the government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already invalidated her passport under the Passport Act, effectively barring her from international travel. The two sides are currently locked in a legal dispute over whether the revocation was lawful. The Gaza Strip is designated as a travel ban zone under Korean law, prohibiting nationals from visiting without special government permission. Violators face up to one year in prison or fines of up to 10 million won, and the government may also invalidate the passport of anyone who defies the order.The government warned Kim through multiple channels that proceeding with her plan could result in administrative sanctions under the Passport Act, as well as potential criminal penalties.“The Korean government views the testimony of our citizen regarding the alleged physical assaults by the Israeli military with the utmost gravity. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has conveyed this grave position to the Israeli side. Following a thorough verification of the facts, the ministry will take appropriate measures corresponding to the severity of the incident,” the foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. A government official said earlier that Seoul had shared the potential trips by Korean nationals with relevant local authorities, including Israel, asking them to guarantee the Korean nationals' safety. The Israeli government on Thursday deported hundreds of flotilla activists who had attempted to pass Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.Italian activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, detained by Israeli forces after their vessels were intercepted in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, raise their fists upon their arrival at Fiumicino Airport, in Fiumicino, Italy, Thursday. Reuters-YonhapDivided reactions at homePublic reaction in Korea to the activists' Gaza voyage is sharply divided. Supporters of the activists condemned both the Israeli detention and what they described as the Korean government's "empty rhetoric."“Korea activists were freed after President Lee Jae Myung mentioned the issue, but the government suppressed the activist by canceling her passport and therefore put her in danger with her stateless status. It is the government’s duty to take diplomatic efforts,” Korea Flotilla for a Free Palestine, the group Kim is involved with, said in a statement Friday.Other civic groups also voiced their support.“Israel’s attack on a civilian vessel in international waters and its abduction of unarmed peace activists is an apparent violation of international law. The forcible seizure of a foreign-flagged vessel in international waters by Israeli forces violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The threatening, abduction and detention of unarmed civilians are against international human rights law,” the Korean Church Human Rights Center said in a statement Friday.The nongovernmental organizations and their supporters are planning to hold a press conference later Friday with the two activists to criticize the Israeli state and killings in the Gaza Strip, as well as the Korean government for canceling Kim’s passport.An Israeli naval vessel arrives at the Port of Ashdod, Wednesday, after Israeli naval forces intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla, according to an Israeli rights group and the Global Sumud Flotilla organizers, who said the activists aboard were being detained at an Israeli port. Reuters-Yonhap Meanwhile, online commentary ran heavily critical of the activists for ignoring government warnings and claiming their rescue came at the public's expense. "What made you use taxes on reckless actions? You should pay back every single cent spent on you," one commenter wrote.Others argued that while individuals have the right to act on their convictions, they must also bear personal responsibility for the consequences.“I respect their belief. But the society has law and order and an individual has freedom to act, but also should take responsibility,” another commenter wrote.