President Lee’s social-media post sharing an ‘Israeli soldier’ video sparks heated debate

The Democratic Party pushed back against the People Power Party after it criticized President Lee Jae-myung’s Israel-related comments on social media, calling the opposition’s charges a “political attack that obscures the core issue.”

Democratic Party spokeswoman Park Ji-hye said in a written briefing on the 12th that, as South Korea’s president, Lee used social media to reaffirm universal human values—such as protecting human life and dignity—and urged the opposition to “stop this politically motivated diversion of the issue.”

Park argued that dismissing the remarks as mere social-media politics or a diplomatic blunder undermines South Korea’s standing as a responsible member of the international community. She warned that the People Power Party’s call for a “rock-like prudence” must not become an excuse for cowardice that requires silence in the face of injustice and human-rights abuses.

She also said the opposition should not remain trapped in outdated ideology or narrow, binary thinking, nor should it sabotage government efforts to advance peace on the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean relations.

The rebuttal responded to a statement from People Power Party chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon the same day, who urged, “President Lee should stop social-media politics that harm national interests.” Choi accused the Lee administration of practicing “selective human-rights advocacy,” suggesting it is overly lenient toward North Korea while quick to lecture on international disputes. The controversy intensified after President Lee shared, on social media two days earlier, a video that purports to show an Israeli Defense Forces soldier torturing a Palestinian child and pushing him off a rooftop. Lee wrote that “there is no difference between the massacre of Jews and killings during wartime,” a post that drew a protest from Israel’s foreign ministry.

Ruling-party lawmakers defended the president’s intent and rallied around him. Han Min-su, chief secretary to party leader Jeong Cheong-rae, wrote on Facebook that “the very fact there is debate over universal human rights is lamentable,” adding that any politician who opposes respect for human rights—the foundation of the Republic of Korea’s constitution and international common sense—should step down. Kim Young-hwan, the party leader’s chief political secretary, said, “Not remaining silent in the face of injustice and defending universal values is the duty of global citizens,” and expressed support for the president’s clear, principled stance. Strategy Planning Committee Chair Lee Yeon-hee said the president’s message “was not meant to antagonize a particular country but to issue a clear declaration about universal values,” stressing that human rights transcend borders and no country should be exempt—“that is the essence of the message,” she said.