Korea-Israel ties unlikely to face serious strain over Lee's social media message: analysts

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with representatives from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a major umbrella group of labor unions, at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

A video reposted by President Lee Jae Myung, Friday, claiming that Israeli soldiers abused a Palestinian child and then threw him off a rooftop / Captured from President Lee Jae Myung's X (formerly Twitter) account

Korea and Israel are expected to clear up misunderstandings and settle diplomatic unease following President Lee Jae Myung’s social media post perceived by Israel as a trivialization of the Jewish Holocaust during World War II, according to analysts, Sunday.

The analysts brushed aside concerns over bilateral ties in the wake of Lee’s message posted Friday, intended to address global concerns about Israel’s alleged violations of human rights and international law amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East .

The post read, “There is no difference between this and the Japanese wartime sex slavery issue we raise, the massacre of Jews or wartime killings.”

A post from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saturday, condemning President Lee Jae Myung's social media message the previous day / Captured from Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' X (formerly Twitter) account

It drew strong condemnation from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs the next day, apparently offended by Lee's reposting of disputed footage from September 2024 allegedly showing Israeli soldiers abusing a Palestinian child and throwing him off a rooftop.

The message was uploaded just days before Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, which falls from Monday to Tuesday this year.

Lee clarified the context behind uploading the footage later on Friday, while the Israeli government responded that his post was “unacceptable and warrants strong condemnation.”

“I would say that the president, from a human rights perspective, appropriately pointed out what needed to be criticized and said something that was within acceptable bounds,” said Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University.

The professor then pointed to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

While expressing regret over Israel’s condemnation, it said that Korea “empathizes deeply with the unspeakable suffering endured by Israel due to the Holocaust” and extended "profound condolences to the victims."

“All these efforts are expected to clear up misunderstandings between the two countries,” Shin said.

He noted that Korea and Israel would have summoned their respective ambassadors in each other’s capitals if their ties were affected. Neither side had taken such action as of Sunday.

Min Jeong-hun, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, also found the president’s message appropriate.

“It appears the president addressed issues of Israel’s alleged violations of human rights and international law, as the country has been openly pursuing its own national interests,” he said, with reference to Israel’s strikes on Iran and its conflicts with other Middle Eastern neighbors.

“The president was criticized for mentioning the Jewish massacre, which, from Israel’s perspective, may have been unavoidable in order to divert attention from growing international criticism,” Min said.

“Nevertheless, the situation is expected to be resolved, and it is unlikely to seriously fray relations between Korea and Israel.”

Shin, meanwhile, said the president should be more mindful of “using diplomatic language” to correctly convey his intent through social media.

“Wording matters greatly in diplomacy, and given that it concerns another country, a more carefully refined and restrained use of language would have been preferable,” he said. “It is somewhat regrettable that Lee’s message was not delivered through official diplomatic channels.”

In another social media post, Sunday, the president reaffirmed his stance on the universality of human rights.

"The sovereignty of each nation and universal human rights must be respected, and wars of aggression must be rejected, which is both the spirit of our Constitution and an international norm,” he said.

"The principle of putting oneself in others' shoes applies not only to individuals but also to relations between countries. Just as my life and property are precious, so too are those of others. Respect begets respect."