Israel has released two South Korean activists detained aboard Gaza-bound aid flotillas, while expressing its hope that the incident would not affect bilateral ties with Seoul, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday.
“The Lee Jae Myung government expresses strong regret over Israel’s arrest of Korean nationals through its seizure of Gaza-bound aid vessels,” senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a live broadcast press briefing. “However, we welcome and highly appreciate Israel’s immediate release of our nationals.”
The two activists had been aboard separate Gaza-bound aid flotillas intercepted by Israeli forces earlier this week, according to the Korean Flotilla for a Free Palestine.
The group said the Lina Al Nabulsi, carrying South Korean activist Kim Ah-hyun, was intercepted near the Gaza Strip early Wednesday. This followed Israel’s Monday seizure of the Kyriakos X, which had South Korean activist Kim Dong-hyeon and activists from several other countries on board.
Kang said the government made efforts to secure the release of the Korean nationals after President Lee Jae Myung publicly questioned the legality and humanitarian implications of Israeli forces intercepting aid flotillas bound for the Gaza Strip in international waters.
During a weekly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Lee ordered officials to review the legal aspects surrounding the seizure of vessels carrying Korean nationals in international waters, calling it “inhumane” and “a violation of the bare minimum of international norms.”
“Accordingly, the government made every effort to provide necessary consular assistance and diplomatic responses,” Kang said. “As a result, the Israeli side exceptionally deported the two Korean nationals immediately without sending them through detention facilities.”
Kang underlined that “the Israeli side said it hoped Korea-Israel relations would not be affected by this matter and will continue to develop further.”
Kang explained that the message was the “Israeli side’s official position on the matter,” adding that the “deportation was also part of Israel’s official response” to that end.
The immediate release came amid growing concerns over how the seizure of the two Koreans could affect ties between Seoul and Tel Aviv; the incident had followed a rare public exchange in April between Lee and Israel’s Foreign Ministry over universal human rights.
The dispute was sparked by Lee’s post on X sharing a video that alleged Israeli soldiers had abused a Palestinian child and thrown him from a rooftop, denouncing such wartime crimes.
Cheong Wa Dae further explained that Israel did not raise the issue of Lee’s order to review whether South Korea would enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he enter Korean territory.
Regarding Lee’s instruction, made Wednesday at the Cabinet meeting, Kang explained that the president’s remarks were “a question emphasizing the need for an objective understanding of the situation.”
“The president is expected to receive a report (from the National Security Office) on that matter, as he sees the need for a fuller understanding of the situation.”
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul explained that Israel deported the two Korean nationals to a third country hours after transporting them to Israel on Wednesday. The two Koreans are set to arrive at Incheon International Airport on Friday morning.
“Our government repeatedly requested, at various levels before and after the seizure of the vessel carrying our nationals, that Israel ensure their immediate release and deportation without detention, considering the safety of our citizens the top priority,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il said during a regular press briefing on Thursday afternoon.
Speaking at a separate briefing, a senior Foreign Ministry official clarified that the Korean government had been in communication with Israel and countries that could serve as departure points for Gaza-bound vessels, allowing it to “grasp the situation in real time, starting from the moment the vessels were seized.”
“Even before that, we had in fact repeatedly informed the Israeli side — as well as the relevant authorities in countries such as Turkey and Italy, which were considered possible points of departure for Gaza Strip,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“We also repeatedly asked them to notify us if they entered those countries and urged them to pay special attention to the safety of our nationals.”
South Koreans are currently banned from visiting or staying in the Gaza Strip without government permission under the Passport Act. Those who do so without approval may face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won ($6,600).
Kim Ah-hyun had been detained by Israeli forces in October while aboard a Gaza-bound vessel. After Kim said in a media interview in January that she intended to join another aid mission, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry ordered her to return her passport and later invalidated it, citing safety concerns.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
