President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a press conference marking the first anniversary of his inauguration at the state guest house of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap) President Lee Jae Myung on Monday defended his criticism of Israel, saying he could not remain silent when the sovereignty of the country and the rights of South Koreans were at stake."If it concerns the human rights and sovereignty of the people of the Republic of Korea, I cannot simply overlook it," Lee said during a press conference at Cheong Wa Dae marking the first anniversary of his inauguration.The president said that respect for national sovereignty, universal human rights and internationally accepted norms should serve as guiding principles in foreign policy."National sovereignty must be respected, universal human rights must be protected and international norms that have been broadly agreed upon should be respected," he said.Lee added that while he generally tries to avoid commenting on every international dispute, some situations warrant a response."I did not want to comment on Israel, but I felt the Israeli military's excessive actions in Gaza had gone too far, so I spoke out. It was not an emotional reaction," Lee said.The remarks come weeks after Lee publicly criticized Israel over the detention of South Korean nationals aboard Gaza-bound aid vessels intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters in May. At the time, Lee described Israel's actions as "way out of line" and questioned whether the detentions could be justified under international law.The incident involved at least two South Korean activists who were among hundreds of international participants attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israeli forces intercepted the vessels and detained those on board before later releasing the South Korean nationals. The detentions drew criticism from Seoul and several other governments.Lee's comments also follow an earlier diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Israel in April after the South Korean leader criticized Israel's conduct in Gaza on social media, prompting a strong rebuke from the Israeli government.At Monday's press conference, Lee said his position was rooted in principles rather than hostility toward any particular country, stressing that violations of sovereignty, human rights and international norms should not be ignored.