South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung Accuses Israel of Kidnapping a Citizen
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called Israel's interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla "kidnapping" and raised the possibility Seoul could arrest PM Netanyahu under ICC warrants, the latest flare-up in a rapidly deteriorating diplomatic relationship.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung escalated his confrontation with Israel on Wednesday, accusing the Israeli Navy of "kidnapping" a South Korean citizen aboard the Gaza-bound flotilla and raising the possibility that Seoul could arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under International Criminal Court warrants.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Seoul, Lee said that Israel had arrested South Korean nationals in international waters, calling the action "way out of line" and questioning whether such actions could be allowed to pass without protest.
Lee also said he believed many European countries were willing to arrest Netanyahu under ICC warrants, but that Seoul must make its own judgment on the matter.
The Flotilla
The latest activist flotilla attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza came to an end this week, with more than 400 activists taken to Israel. The fleet of vessels departed from the Turkish port of Marmaros carrying activists from dozens of countries.
Among those detained was South Korean activist Kim Ah-hyun, whose passport had previously been revoked by the South Korean government after she attempted to enter Gaza without official authorization. Under South Korean law, citizens are prohibited from entering Gaza without prior government approval, with violations punishable by up to one year in prison or a heavy fine.
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded that the flotilla was nothing more than a Hamas public relations stunt, and that Israel would continue enforcing its naval blockade in accordance with international law.
An Escalating Pattern
Wednesday's outburst is the latest in a series of confrontations between Lee and Israel since he took office. Last month, Lee drew condemnation from Israel's Foreign Ministry after comparing Israeli military actions to the Holocaust in a social media post, sharing a video he claimed showed IDF soldiers pushing a Palestinian off a rooftop.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said Lee had "for some strange reason" dug up a story from 2024 and cited a fake account notorious for spreading anti-Israel disinformation, adding: "We have not heard a single word from the president about the terrorists who were at the center of this event."
Lee is a left-wing politician who has clashed repeatedly with Israel since taking power, and his remarks on Netanyahu's potential arrest mark a significant sharpening of Seoul's rhetoric, raising the prospect of a formal diplomatic breach between the two countries.