Israel slams South Korea leader over Holocaust remark

Israel’s Foreign Ministry sharply criticized South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday for comments it said trivialized the Holocaust and spread misinformation about Israeli forces.

In a post on X that drew more than 9 million views, the ministry said Lee’s remarks, “including the trivialization of the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel,” were “unacceptable and warrant strong condemnation.” Yom HaShoah will be observed in Israel from Monday evening through Tuesday.

Lee had referenced a 2024 video falsely alleged to show Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian boy, calling the incident akin to the “Jewish massacre or wartime killings.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the clip came from a disinformation account and that the event had been investigated two years ago.

“President Lee Jae Myung, for some strange reason, chose to dig up a story from 2024 and to cite a fake account that falsely presented it as a current event. This account is notorious for spreading anti-Israeli disinformation and falsehoods about Israel. The event discussed occurred during an operation against terrorists, at a time when Israeli soldiers were facing direct and immediate threats to their lives. The event was thoroughly investigated and addressed two years ago,” the ministry wrote.

The ministry rebuked Lee for failing to condemn recent Iranian and Hezbollah attacks on Israelis.

“Yet we have not heard a single word from the President about the terrorists who were at the center of this event. Nor have we heard a word from the President regarding the recent Iranian and Hezbollah terror attacks against Israeli citizens,” the post stated.

The ministry ended its post with this sentence: “Mr. President, it’s always better to check before posting.”