Seoul, South Korea - The Israeli Embassy in South Korea removed a controversial video from its social media accounts on Wednesday, following concerns raised by the South Korean government. The video depicted a hypothetical attack on Seoul by the Hamas group.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Originally posted on Tuesday, the video showed a dramatized terror attack in Seoul on Christmas day. It featured a mother receiving an air raid warning on her cellphone while attending her daughter's school talent show, followed by scenes of gunfire, explosions, and the kidnapping of the mother. The footage ended with a message, "Imagine if it happened to you. What would you do?" and listed data about Hamas' attacks on Israel.
The Israeli Embassy explained that the video was created to help South Koreans empathize with the experiences of Israelis. However, the embassy decided to remove the video after it sparked public criticism.
Seoul's foreign ministry commented on the incident, stating, "Hamas' killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians cannot be justified, but it is not considered appropriate for the Israeli Embassy in Korea to produce and distribute a video comparing this to the security situation of another country." The ministry confirmed that it had conveyed its position to the Israeli Embassy, which subsequently deleted the video.