Israel releases South Korean nationals

President Lee Jae Myung publicly criticized Israel on May 21 after Israeli forces intercepted Gaza-bound aid vessels carrying Korean activists, and Seoul later said two Korean nationals had been released. The Korea Times reported Lee called the seizure a violation of international law and referred to the International Criminal Court warrant issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024. The released activists were identified by Seoul as Kim Ah-hyun and Korean American Jonathan Victor Lee, who had been aboard the Lina Al Nabulsi when it was intercepted near Gaza, according to a presidential office briefing carried by Yonhap and published by The Korea Times. A separate Korea Times report said another Korean activist, Kim Dong-hyeon, had been on the Kyriakos X, which was seized earlier. (koreatimes.co.kr) The episode widened into a diplomatic dispute after Pakistani groups and South Korean officials publicly condemned the seizure of flotilla participants, while other activists were deported following international criticism of their treatment in custody. Peoples Dispatch reported Lee said South Korea was considering whether it would comply with the ICC warrant, and Al Jazeera reported Israel deported hundreds of foreign activists on May 21. (koreatimes.co.kr) ### Which Koreans were detained, and on what ships? Kim Ah-hyun and Jonathan Victor Lee were on the Lina Al Nabulsi when Israeli forces intercepted the vessel at about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday, Seoul time, according to the Korea Times report citing the Korean Flotilla for a Free Palestine. The same report said the Kyriakos X had been seized earlier with Kim Dong-hyeon on board. (peoplesdispatch.org) The presidential office said Thursday that two Koreans captured on Gaza-bound aid vessels had been released. Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the government would take “principled and responsible measures,” alongside diplomatic communication with relevant countries, to protect its nationals. ### What exactly did Lee Jae Myung say? (koreatimes.co.kr) President Lee Jae Myung criticized the seizure on May 21 and, according to The Korea Times, explicitly mentioned the ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu while addressing the case. The presidential office later sought to play down the warrant reference, the newspaper reported, even as it welcomed the release of the detainees. (koreatimes.co.kr) The ICC says its Pre-Trial Chamber issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on Nov. 21, 2024. That warrant has become part of the political fallout from the flotilla incident because Lee’s remarks tied the detention of Korean nationals to an existing international legal case. ### How did Pakistan enter the story? Pakistan was drawn in because one of the flotilla participants, Saad Edhi, was identified in Peoples Dispatch as a Pakistani national, and protests were organized in Karachi after the seizure. (koreatimes.co.kr) The same report said Pakistani groups condemned Israel’s actions and joined broader criticism from activists and governments reacting to the flotilla interceptions. (icc-cpi.int) Peoples Dispatch also reported that Lee said on May 20 that South Korea was considering compliance with the ICC warrant. That account could not be independently confirmed from an official South Korean government transcript in the material reviewed here, but it was part of the wider reporting around Seoul’s response. ### Why did Ben-Gvir’s video intensify the backlash? (peoplesdispatch.org) Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video taunting detained flotilla activists, and Al Jazeera reported on May 21 that the footage triggered a backlash and forced Israeli damage control. The report said the video undercut Israel’s public-relations effort as criticism over the detentions spread. (peoplesdispatch.org) Al Jazeera separately reported that Israel deported hundreds of foreign activists after the outcry over their treatment in custody. That deportation campaign unfolded as Seoul confirmed the release of the two Korean nationals. ### What comes next for Seoul and the flotilla detainees? Seoul’s next step is diplomatic follow-up with “related countries,” according to spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, while South Korea works to protect any remaining nationals affected by the flotilla seizures. (aljazeera.com) The status of Kim Dong-hyeon was not clearly resolved in the reports reviewed here. (aljazeera.com) May 21 also brought reports of continued deportations of non-Korean flotilla activists, suggesting the immediate aftermath of the interceptions is still playing out across several governments. Further official statements are likely to come from Seoul, Israeli authorities and the activist groups that organized the voyage. (aljazeera.com) (koreatimes.co.kr)