The video, which depicted a simulated Hamas attack on South Korea, was set in Seoul, and was taken down within a day due to the escalating controversy. (Photo: a screenshot of the video from the Israeli embassy’s social account)
SEOUL, Dec. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – On December 26, a video released by the Israeli Embassy in South Korea on its official social media account stirred significant controversy.
The video, which depicted a simulated Hamas attack on South Korea, was set in Seoul, and was taken down within a day due to the escalating controversy.
Numerous South Korean media outlets suggested that the video was strategically posted by the Israeli side as part of a “public opinion war” to counter the perceived “anti-Israel” sentiment in South Korea and the international community.
However, some argue that the Israeli government may have gone too far by invoking security concerns in South Korea to underscore its legitimacy.
The video portrays a mother and her young daughter evacuating a building after an air raid warning during a school assembly. A bomb hits the building, and the mother, covered in blood, is abducted by gunmen.
The mother searches for her child, finding only her red gloves on the floor. The video begins with the caption, “Imagine if it happened to you,” listing the atrocities Israelis witnessed in the October 7 Hamas attack.
Criticism has been directed at the video’s violent and graphic depiction, particularly of an armed assailant grabbing a bleeding woman by the hair and dragging her away. This portrayal has been accused of exacerbating security concerns in South Korea, especially as the government takes a firm stance against North Korea.
Observers note a growing sense of security anxiety, criticizing such videos from foreign countries for crossing ethical boundaries.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official commented, “Hamas’s murder and kidnapping of Israeli civilians are unjustifiable, but it is not appropriate for the Israeli Embassy in Seoul to produce and distribute a video that compares it to the security situation of other countries.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
