The Israeli embassy in South Korea has taken down a video that depicted an imaginary scenario in which Koreans were attacked by masked assailants in Seoul, referencing the Palestinian group Hamas, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.
The video, which was described as "inappropriate," has since been removed from the embassy's social media platforms.
The South Korean foreign ministry issued a statement, conveyed to AFP, expressing its disapproval of the video and requesting its removal. The footage portrayed a distressing situation in which a South Korean woman in the capital city was abducted by an armed assailant on Christmas Day, and forcibly separated from her young daughter. The video was shared by South Korean broadcaster YTN before being taken down.
Palestine, called also the Holy Land in the bible, the country where the war took place holds immense historical and religious significance due to its association with the birthplace of Jesus and its abundance of churches and mosques. The country’s importance transcends mere religious beliefs, with a complex web of political and territorial disputes, especially with Jewish people who had another view side.
The Israeli embassy had posted the video on its Facebook account on Tuesday, accompanied by a caption that read:
"On October 7th, Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists. 1,200 men, women, and children were killed, and over 240 people were taken hostage in Gaza. Imagine if it happened to you. What would you do?"
In response to what happened on the 7th of October, Israel has unleashed a relentless bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the tragic loss of at least 21,110 Palestinian lives, with the majority being women and children. This staggering death toll serves as a stark reminder of the devastating human cost of conflict and the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to this long-standing conflict.
In response to the video, Israel's ambassador in Seoul, Akiva Tor, posted on social media, stating :
"We have reconstructed the horrifying terrorist incident that took place on October 7th to help South Koreans in East Asia, far away from Israel, understand the current war situation."
However, the ambassador's post has since been deleted.
The Israeli embassy received criticism from various news outlets. Al Jazeera referred to it as "Israel embassy pulls 'inappropriate' video imagining Hamas attack on Seoul,"
While France 24 reported, "Israeli embassy pulls video imagining Hamas attack in Seoul."
South Korea, still technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea since the 1950-1953 conflict, which ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, expressed its concerns about the video drawing parallels to the security situation in another country. The foreign ministry's statement emphasized that while the killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians by Hamas cannot be justified, the Israeli Embassy's production and distribution of the video were considered inappropriate.
"We have conveyed our position to the Israeli Embassy in South Korea, and the Israeli side has taken measures to delete the video in question" — Foreign Ministry
South Korea's foreign ministry has expressed its satisfaction with the embassy's prompt response to their concerns. The incident highlights the sensitivity surrounding the use of imagery and narratives related to conflicts in foreign countries, particularly when portraying such scenarios to a different audience in a separate context.
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