South Korea’s president condemns Israel's kidnapping of nationals on Gaza aid flotilla
South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung has sharply condemned Israel’s abduction of South Korean nationals aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship, calling the act “inhumane” and suggesting that Seoul should arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters South Korean territory.
During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Lee criticized Israel’s interception of the civilian flotilla in international waters as “excessive” and legally indefensible.
“What is the legal basis for Israel seizing or sinking ships, including those carrying our citizens who were volunteering for Gaza?” he asked. “Isn’t Israel’s invasion and occupation of Gaza itself illegal under international law?”
Lee said that South Korea should not ignore the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, noting that multiple European states have already stated their intention to detain him if he enters their jurisdiction. “We should also consider this,” he said.
South Korean nationals were among dozens seized during Israel’s April 30 raid on the Global Sumud Flotilla, intercepted in international waters off Greece as it attempted to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver urgently needed aid to the besieged population.
The flotilla carried 426 passengers from a wide array of countries, including Turkey, Germany, the United States, Britain, Canada, Pakistan, Algeria, South Africa, and New Zealand, before Israeli naval forces stormed the vessels.
Dozens of activists were forcibly taken into custody, among them South Korean citizens Kim Dong-hyeon and Kim Ah-hyun.
The flotilla’s organisers have demanded the immediate release of all detainees and called on the international community to intervene. They said testimonies from activists who were freed reveal “a pattern of severe physical and sexual violence and systematic degradation” following the raid.
According to organisers, detainees have reported interrogations, death threats, sleep deprivation, and medical neglect, treatment that constitutes clear violations of international humanitarian law.
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