President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea speaks at an event held with the KCTU at the Blue House on April 10, 2026. (Yonhap)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung declared Sunday that “the sovereignty of each nation and universal human rights must be respected, and wars of aggression must be rejected,” calling this “the spirit of Korea’s Constitution and international common sense.” Lee was responding directly to the Israeli government, which had denounced his previous post on the social media site X condemning Israeli war crimes in Gaza as “unacceptable.” While Lee’s political opponents are calling this spat with Israel a “diplomatic disaster,” the ruling Democratic Party defended the president, stating that Lee was “remarking on the importance of universal human rights.” The controversy began in earnest on Friday when Lee reposted a video on X that purportedly showed soldiers with the Israel Defense Forces throwing a Palestinian child from the roof after torturing him, commenting, “We need to verify whether this is true, and if it is, what actions were taken to address it.” The propriety of Lee’s comments was called into question when it was confirmed that the video was from September 2024 and the Israeli soldiers were not throwing a child from the roof, but the body of a dead Palestinian. But Lee responded by posting that “international humanitarian law must be upheld in all circumstances.” This prompted outrage by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, which said his remarks were “unacceptable and warrant strong condemnation” on Friday (local time, 4:33 am Saturday in Korea), further stoking controversy. Three hours later, at 7:45 am on Saturday, Lee posted again, expressing his “disappointment” that Israel was failing to “reflect on the feedback from people around the world who are suffering and struggling” due to its “incessant violations of human rights and international law.” The South Korean Foreign Ministry also released a statement in which it clarified that Lee’s comments were “an expression of his convictions regarding universal human rights rather than an opinion on any specific issue,” and noted its “regret” over Israel’s misunderstanding and criticism of his remarks.On Sunday, Lee took to X again. “Even in politics and the media, areas where the pursuit of the public and national interest is a solemn duty, some are openly selling out the country,” he wrote, expressing displeasure at politicians and media outlets misrepresenting his remarks. Lee’s post appears to be aimed at remarks by Song Eon-seog, the floor leader of the People Power Party, who on Saturday had posted, “Does President Lee continuing his spat with the Israeli government amid the current war in the Middle East help the national interest?” Choi Bo-yun, a senior spokesperson for the PPP, said on Sunday, “President Lee’s irresponsible social media outbursts have caused a diplomatic disaster. Stop the social media politics that are hindering the national interest.” The ruling Democratic Party, however, stood behind Lee. “As regards the war in the Middle East, President Lee referred to defending universal values such as human life and dignity and to universal human values,” said Park Jee-hye, a spokesperson for the party. “Dismissing this as ‘social media politics’ or ‘a diplomatic disaster’ is a repudiation of the status of the Republic of Korea.” After Lee’s post on Saturday, Urgent Action by South Korean Civil Society in Solidarity with Palestine put out a statement. “Even though it is very late, we once again welcome the Korean government stating that it will finally join people of conscience around the world,” the civic group said. Experts offered conflicting reactions to Lee’s posts on X. “President Lee seems to be showing us his principles as a former human rights lawyer,” commented Kim Sung-bae, the president of the Institute for National Security Strategy.“Conventionally, Korean diplomacy has made a virtue out of refraining from making public statements about international issues, but as a middle power that has military might and economic strength, we need to make our voice heard to increase our diplomatic influence,” he added. Park Wan-gon, a professor at Ewha Womans University, on the other hand, expressed concern.“Trump’s MAGA base is largely pro-Israel, so there’s a chance of the US exploiting this,” he said.As the controversy continues, there seems to be confusion within the Blue House as well. One Blue House official said that Lee’s posts were “a reflection of the president’s perception of human rights issues,” but expressed “considerable concern” about the mounting backlash amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. By Seo Young-ji, staff reporter; Jang Ye-ji, staff reporter; Jang Na-rye, staff reporter; Cho Hae-yeong, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
