"This is vile": Internet reacts to a now-deleted Israeli Embassy video illustrating a Hamas attack on South Korea

A video that the Israeli embassy in South Korea created depicting a fictitious attack on Seoul by masked attackers that appeared to be similar to Hamas was removed after the South Korean government voiced concerns. According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the video was removed on Wednesday, December 27, 2023, after being uploaded to the Israeli embassy's social media accounts on Tuesday.

The video, titled "Imagine it happening to you," depicted a staged terror assault in Seoul on Christmas Day, replete with kidnappings of civilians, and went viral on social media on December 26. Netizens were not pleased with the video due to its sensitive content. One X user, @LoggerLemon, tweeted, "This is vile."

On Thursday, December 28, the AFP news agency received confirmation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it had requested the Israeli embassy withdraw the sensitive video.

Trigger Warning: This article contains distressing content followed by a video that could trigger extreme distress among some people, especially survivors of trauma.

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"I'm glad they protested": Netizens give a nod to the South Korean government for making Israeli Embassy take down the sensitive video

In the video released by the Israeli Embassy, the plot has an air raid siren going off during a cultural gathering, and it shows a woman and her daughter attending it. The mother gets injured in the head and is taken into custody by an armed person as they attempt to escape after a bomb goes off at the location. By comparing the experiences of Israelis with the hypothetical situation in Seoul, the intention was to seemingly arouse empathy.

The move, nevertheless, was met with criticism from individuals who believed the embassy was unnecessarily inciting concerns about Korea's safety. Commentators pointed out that the representation is especially difficult because of Korea's unique predicament as a split nation that is officially still at war.

Additionally, there was concern that extreme content like this may mislead viewers from other countries into thinking that the Korean Peninsula is a hostile place, which could result in dangerous beliefs.

On December 28, 2023, as reported by Al Jazeera, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry addressed the video. The Foreign Ministry stated that although it is inexcusable that Hamas has been assassinating and kidnapping Israeli people, the Israeli Embassy was wrong to produce and distribute a movie that made comparisons to the security conditions in another nation.

“The killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians by Hamas cannot be justified, but the Israeli Embassy’s production and distribution of a video drawing parallels to the security situation in another country was deemed inappropriate. We have conveyed our position to the Israeli Embassy in South Korea, and the Israeli side has taken measures to delete the video in question.”

Netizens expressed their views and thoughts on X, condemning the Israeli Embassy for releasing an extremely sensitive video on South Korea.

According to the Israeli Embassy, South Koreans can better comprehend Israeli feelings by seeing this film. According to South Korean broadcaster YTN, Israel's ambassador in Seoul, Akiva Tor, stated in a since-deleted social media post,

"We have reconstructed the horrifying terrorist incident that took place on October 7th to help South Koreans in East Asia, far away from Israel, understand the current war situation."

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According to an updated count by Israeli police, 1,139 individuals have reportedly lost their lives in the October 7 attack. Israel has pledged time and time again to continue its battle to dismantle the Palestinian terrorist group in retribution. Moreover, Israel claims that 129 of the roughly 240 people whom Hamas abducted are still being held hostage in Gaza.

Over 21,000 Palestinians, largely women and children, have been reportedly killed, and hundreds of buildings, particularly schools and hospitals, have been destroyed by Israel's persistent bombardment of the beleaguered Gaza Strip, resulting in a terrible humanitarian situation.

Disclaimer: This piece represents the views of individuals from online communities and not necessarily the views of Sportskeeda as an organization.