President Lee Jae-myung Clarifies Remarks Criticizing Israeli Forces

President Lee Jae-myung has clarified his recent remarks criticizing the Israeli military's actions in the Gaza Strip, stating they were "not emotional." He revealed his true intention was to speak out from a humanitarian perspective, despite being aware of the sensitive nature of the issue as a head of state.

Speaking at his first-anniversary press conference on the 8th, the President emphasized that his critique of the Israeli military's conduct, which he deemed as having "gone too far," was by no means an impulsive reaction.

President Lee suggested that the Israeli military's activities within Gaza could potentially violate three principles: "respect for national sovereignty, guarantee of universal human rights, and agreed-upon international norms." He explained the background of his decision to speak out, stating, "I hesitated to speak as the head of the Republic of Korea, but I felt I had to." He reiterated that his criticism was a natural point to make as a head of state, based on the judgment that "it has gone too far."

By making it clear that his remarks were not made impulsively, the move is interpreted as an effort to reaffirm the South Korean government's principled stance on a potentially sensitive diplomatic issue, both domestically and internationally, and to communicate the government's position.