South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is now at odds with Israel after reposting a video of three IDF soldiers throwing a Palestinian off a rooftop, on X last Friday, 10 April 2026.
“I need to look into whether this is true, and if so, what measures have been taken. The forced comfort women issue that we are raising is no different from the Jewish massacre or wartime killings,” said the president in a post on X.
Lee emphasized that there is ‘no difference’ between the crimes against humanity historically experienced by the Korean people under Japanese occupation (in reference to forced comfort women), the Jewish massacre (in reference to the Holocaust), and the wartime killings of Palestinians perpetrated by Israel.
The video was verified as AFPTV footage from 2024, in the town of Qabatiyah, near Jenin, which showed an Israeli soldier using his foot to roll the body of a Palestinian man towards the edge of the roof and then pushing him over, while at least two other soldiers looked on.
Following up on the post, President clarified that the video was verified as a real incident from 2024, and asserted that “in all circumstances, international humanitarian law must be upheld, and human dignity must be safeguarded”, and referenced U.S. officials who had called the actions of the IDF in the video as “despicable and unacceptable”.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, struck back at Lee, claiming that the South Korean President trivialized the massacre of Jews during the Holocaust and criticized him for “digging up a story” from 2024, and for citing content from an account that spreads “anti-Israeli disinformation”.
In a striking criticism of the Israeli MFA’s response, Lee wrote that it is “disappointing” that Israel does not reflect on criticisms of its actions, which he described as “anti-human rights” and “anti-international law”.
The Korean Ministry of Affairs also released a statement in conjunction with the President, which affirmed Korea’s steadfast opposition to violence, anti-humanitarian actions, and its commitment to international law.
More from Wake Up Singapore:
Israeli attacks on Lebanon kill at least 254 and over 1,165 injured in one day
