South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has triggered a diplomatic row with Israel after sharing a video from 2024 showing Israeli soldiers pushing a body off a building in the occupied West Bank, drawing a strong response from Israeli authorities.
The controversy escalated after Lee, in a post on X, said there was “no difference” between wartime killings, the Holocaust, and Japan’s wartime sexual slavery of Korean women, remarks that prompted sharp criticism from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The exchange highlights rising global sensitivities around the Gaza conflict and historical references, with the dispute marking a rare public disagreement between two countries that have maintained diplomatic ties for decades.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry described Lee’s remarks as “unacceptable,” accusing him of trivializing the Holocaust and referencing what it said was an outdated or misrepresented incident.
“The remarks… including the trivialization of the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, are unacceptable and warrant strong condemnation,” the ministry said in a statement posted on X.
The ministry also said the incident cited by Lee had occurred in 2024 during a military operation and had already been investigated, adding that the video was being presented as a current event by “a fake account.”
Lee, however, defended his position, clarifying that the video referred to a real incident from September 2024 that had drawn international criticism, including from the United States.
According to CNN reporting at the time, residents of Qabatya near Jenin in the occupied West Bank had filmed Israeli soldiers throwing what appeared to be lifeless bodies off a building.
The Israeli military had then said it killed four militants in a counterterrorism operation and described the footage as a “serious incident” that did not align with its values, adding that it was under review.
Lee reiterated that international humanitarian law must be upheld under all circumstances and emphasized human dignity as a fundamental value.
The dispute widened as Lee appeared to stand by his remarks, criticizing what he described as a lack of reflection on alleged human rights concerns, while South Korea’s Foreign Ministry later sought to ease tensions by stating that his comments reflected general principles of human rights rather than targeting a specific country.
The ministry also reiterated condolences for victims of the Holocaust, signaling an attempt to contain the fallout.
The episode comes amid heightened global scrutiny of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, though public criticism from an East Asian leader remains relatively uncommon.
Resurfaced footage from September 2024 appears to show Israeli soldiers throwing a young Palestinian off a rooftop and walking away pic.twitter.com/kSQWF2wvGY
— HatsOff (@HatsOffff) April 10, 2026
