South Korea says President Lee’s Palestine video on X emphasizes importance of human rights

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s remarks while sharing a video showing abuse of a Palestinian by Israeli soldiers “emphasize the importance of universal human rights,” the country’s foreign minister said Wednesday.

“I believe the substance of his remarks was to emphasize the importance of universal human rights and international humanitarian law,” Cho Hyun told lawmakers at the parliament, according to JoongAng Daily.

President Lee Sunday reiterated his stance on respecting universal human rights amid an online diplomatic exchange between Seoul and Tel Aviv, following his posting of a video linked to the abuse of Palestinians by Israel.

Lee had shared a 2024 video showing members of the Israeli forces mistreating a Palestinian boy.

The video and Lee’s remarks drew a sharp reaction from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which responded by calling the Korean president’s comments “unacceptable.”

Lee later doubled down with further criticism of Israel in subsequent posts on Friday and Sunday.

Cho, the foreign minister, told lawmakers Wednesday that his ministry viewed Lee’s statements as a call for “peaceful conflict resolution.”

He said Seoul communicated “closely with Israel, and the matter has been concluded without further statements from the Israeli side.”