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South Koreans demand arms embargo on Israel

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 10:26 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 24 September 2025 10:26 AM ]

The file photo shows the Korea Army International Defence Industry Exhibition held at the nation’s military headquarters Gyeryongdae, about 145km south of Seoul in October 2024.

South Korean peace activists are demanding that Israeli arms manufacturers be excluded from an upcoming Air Defense Exhibition.

One lawmaker argued that enabling the promotion of the Israeli arms trade makes South Korea guilty of assisting Israel's ongoing genocide of Palestinians.

If we allow Israel to proudly display the weapons used to massacre over 60,000 people, we are no different from aiding and abetting accomplices.

The first step is to ban Israeli officials from attending ADEX, and the second is to implement a comprehensive arms embargo against Israel.

Kwon Young-Guk, South Korean Lawmaker

Seoul activists demand ban on Israeli arms companies

Seoul activists demand ban on Israeli arms companies

South Korean activists and lawmakers demanded a ban on the participation of Israeli companies in the upcoming Air Defense Expo.

South Korea has long maintained good relations with Israel despite Israel's history of human rights abuses of the Palestinian people.

The South Korean president insists that his foreign policy serves the country's national interests.

Israel has war fighting technology, drones and radar, that South Korea wants, and South Korea is developing its own military industrial complex.

South Korean lawmakers seek ban on arms shipments to Israel

South Korean lawmakers seek ban on arms shipments to Israel

South Korean lawmakers are scrutinizing the export of weapons to Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with a focus on significant US arms shipments.

However, many South Koreans are opposed to fulfilling national interests through cooperation with Israeli perpetrators of genocide.

Peace advocates recently launched a petition, and on Tuesday delivered thousands of signatures, carrying their demands for an Israeli Arms Company ban, to the South Korean Ministry of National Defense. Anything less is viewed as complicity.

With the Korean government now announcing policies to promote the defense industry, exchanges with Israel will likely continue to expand.

Now, with Israel committing genocide for nearly two years, any military cooperation with Israel and supply of Israeli weapons risks these weapons being used for catastrophic human rights violations.

Kim-Han Min-Young, Amnesty International

UN experts urge countries to halt arms exports to Israel

UN experts urge countries to immediately halt arms exports to Israel

A group of UN experts has warned that any arms exports to Israel that would be used in Gaza are likely a violation of international law and must stop immediately.

While some 150 countries around the world have recognized the State of Palestine, South Korea has not.

Instead, South Korea is expanding its military cooperation with Israel and plans to showcase Israel's genocidal weaponry at the Seoul ADEX in October 2025.