South Korea's Lee raises ICC warrant for Netanyahu

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung publicly raised the International Criminal Court warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 20 while criticizing Israel’s seizure of a Gaza-bound aid vessel carrying South Korean activists. Korean media reports said Lee told officials Seoul should consider how to respond to the warrant if Netanyahu were to enter South Korea. The remarks came during a discussion of Israel’s interception of a flotilla in international waters and the detention of people on board. The ICC said on November 21, 2024 that it had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant after rejecting Israel’s jurisdictional challenges. ### Why did Lee bring up Netanyahu’s ICC warrant now? May 20 was the day Lee used the warrant in the context of Israel’s interception of a vessel headed toward Gaza. The Korea Times, citing Yonhap, reported that Lee said South Korea should consider complying with the ICC warrant for Netanyahu as he condemned Israel for seizing Korean nationals in international waters. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that Lee ordered officials to review the arrest warrant issue while questioning the legal basis for stopping the vessel outside Israeli territorial waters. (koreatimes.co.kr) The Jerusalem Post reported that Lee accused Israel of illegally detaining a South Korean citizen on the flotilla and asked of Netanyahu, “Hasn’t the ICC effectively recognized him as a war criminal and issued an arrest warrant?” Chosun and Yonhap carried similar wording, reporting that Lee referred to the existing ICC warrant while discussing whether South Korea should make its own judgment. (koreatimes.co.kr) ### What exactly did the ICC do in 2024? The International Criminal Court said on November 21, 2024 that Pre-Trial Chamber I issued warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. The court said the chamber had also unanimously rejected challenges filed by Israel under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute. (jpost.com) The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant each bore criminal responsibility for acts including the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. U.N. News, summarizing the move at the time, also reported that the court issued warrants for the two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander. (icc-cpi.int) ### Does Lee’s comment mean South Korea has changed policy? South Korean reports described Lee’s remarks as a public raising of the issue, not an announced legal order or a formal policy shift. The Korea Times said Lee stated that Korea should consider complying with the ICC warrant, while Korea JoongAng Daily said he urged a review of the warrant after the flotilla incident. Neither report described a new South Korean government directive beyond that review. (icc-cpi.int) Yonhap’s account said Lee asked aides whether European countries had said they would arrest Netanyahu if he entered their territory, and an official replied that some had. That exchange showed Lee framing the matter as one for legal and diplomatic review rather than announcing an immediate action. ### What is the immediate trigger involving the flotilla? Israeli forces stopped a Gaza-bound activist flotilla this week, and South Korean coverage said at least one South Korean national was among those detained. (koreatimes.co.kr) The Jerusalem Post said Lee called the detention illegal, while the Times of Israel reported South Korea’s foreign ministry said the flotilla effort had ended and that more than 400 activists were taken to Israel. (en.yna.co.kr) The next concrete step is likely to come from Seoul’s handling of the detained activists and any formal government review of the ICC issue. South Korean outlets said Lee raised the matter during a State Council meeting on May 20, and any follow-up would come through the presidential office or foreign ministry. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com) (jpost.com)