Foreign ministry regrets Israel's 'misunderstanding' of President Lee's Middle East remarks

SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry expressed regret Saturday over what it described as a "misunderstanding" by Israel of President Lee Jae Myung's remarks on the situation in the Middle East.

In a post on its official X account, the ministry clarified that Lee's comments reflect "an expression of his convictions regarding universal human rights rather than an opinion on any specific issue."

The online diplomatic exchange began Friday when Lee shared a video purportedly showing members of the Israel Defense Forces mistreating a Palestinian boy.

Lee drew a parallel between the forced sexual servitude imposed on Korean women under Japanese colonial rule, the Holocaust and wartime killings.

In a follow-up post, he clarified that the video was dated from September 2024 and called for the upholding of human rights and international humanitarian law under all circumstances.

"Human rights are the last safeguard and a value that must never be traded away," he wrote.

Earlier in the day, the Israeli foreign ministry issued a strong protest against Lee's original post, calling it "unacceptable" and warranting "strong condemnation."

It also disputed the relevance of the video, adding the content originated from an account "notorious for spreading anti-Israeli disinformation and falsehoods about Israel."

In a subsequent post, Lee said it was "disappointing" that Israel had not taken the opportunity to reflect on the widespread criticism from people around the world regarding concerns over human rights and international humanitarian law.

Seoul's foreign ministry reaffirms that Seoul "remains steadfast in its opposition to all forms of violence and anti-humanitarian acts, including the acts of terrorism pointed out by Israel" while stressing that it has "consistently maintained the position that international humanitarian law and human rights must be upheld without exception."

The ministry also expressed empathy for the suffering endured by the Jewish people, saying that South Korea continues to "empathize deeply with the unspeakable suffering endured by Israel due to the Holocaust" and extended "profound condolences to the victims."

jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr(END)