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Two South Korean activists who were detained by Israeli forces during a Gaza aid flotilla returned to South Korea via Incheon International Airport on the morning of May 22. They allege that Israeli forces used violence and committed human-rights violations during the seizure.
Kim Ah-hyun (activist name Haecho) and Kim Dong-hyun arrived at Incheon International Airport at about 6:23 a.m. aboard a flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Both appeared in the arrivals hall wearing black tops and jeans.
Immediately after returning, Kim Ah-hyun told reporters, \”Many people are dying not only from bombardment but also from starvation. Because there are people living on that land, I decided we must attempt the voyage again, no matter how dangerous the situation in the Middle East.\”
\”I always plan to return to the Gaza Strip,\” she added. \”I will continue to visit Palestine and other isolated regions around the world until Gaza secures its freedom — and even after.\”
On South Korea’s decision to invalidate her passport, she said, \”People have the right to live and travel where they choose. Even if the government restricts me through legal measures like invalidating my passport, I still have the right to act on my convictions.\”
She also criticized how many consular officials in various countries respond to the crisis, saying they avoid diplomatic friction with Israel by citing security concerns. \”In that context, I believe the South Korean government has fulfilled its role,\” she said.
Kim said she suffered physical abuse while in Israeli custody. \”Our vessel was one of the last ships seized. The Israeli soldiers were extremely agitated,\” she said. \”When I arrived at the detention center, many people had already been beaten. I was struck in the face several times, and I now have reduced hearing in my left ear.\”
Kim Dong-hyun likewise condemned Israel’s actions. \”What Israel did to us was intolerable violence: seizing unarmed vessels on the high seas and torturing and detaining civilians,\” he said. \”Israel continues to claim its actions were legal, but I want to stress that this is not the case.\”
The pair had joined a voyage aimed at bypassing the Gaza blockade to deliver aid and were seized by Israeli forces. Kim Dong-hyun was detained on May 18 in waters near Cyprus, and Kim Ah-hyun was detained on May 19 near Gaza; both were released on May 20.
Images showing activists kneeling with their wrists bound circulated widely and prompted international controversy.
Kim Ah-hyun was also arrested last October during the same voyage. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry subsequently ordered her to surrender her passport, but she had already left the country and her passport was later invalidated. For this return she traveled on a document issued by the Foreign Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Korean chapter of the Freedom Flotilla for Palestine (KFFP), which has supported their actions, held a press conference at the airport. The group described Dong-hyun, Haecho and Seung-jun’s voyage as an expression of nonviolent, peaceful protest and said the South Korean government should stand with the cause.
\”Only the liberation of Palestine is our destination, and the voyage will continue until we reach it,\” the group said.
The organization said it plans to hold a protest cultural event that afternoon near the Israeli Embassy in Jongno District, Seoul.
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