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President’s social media needs caution

Published: 13 Apr. 2026, 00:00

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a senior aides’ meeting at the presidential office in the Blue House on April 9. [YONHAP]

President Lee Jae Myung has stirred controversy at home and abroad over a recent social media post related to Israel. On Friday, he shared a video on his X account, carrying the claim that Israeli soldiers had tortured a Palestinian child and thrown the child from a building. He wrote that the matter should be checked and, if true, asked what action had been taken, adding that there would be little difference between such an act and wartime sexual enslavement, the Holocaust or killings committed during war.

But the video did not show the torture and killing of a child. It was footage from September 2024. At the time, foreign media reported that Israeli forces had dropped from a rooftop the body of a Palestinian militant killed in a clash with armed groups. The footage was shocking and drew controversy over possible violations of international law. Israel said it launched an investigation. But the claim that it showed the torture of a child was false.

Lee did not state the claim as a fact. Even so, it was inappropriate for a president to post a video carrying a false explanation without verification. A president’s social media account differs fundamentally from that of an ordinary citizen. Remarks by a head of state are often understood as reflecting the country’s official position. Lee appears to have mistaken the video for a recent incident, and he had to correct the post three hours later. Before inaccurate information was uploaded to the president’s official account, there seems to have been no meaningful process inside the presidential office to verify or advise on it.

The fact that this issue developed into diplomatic friction with Israel clearly shows the consequences of a weak system. Israel’s foreign ministry said Lee’s remarks were unacceptable and deserved strong condemnation. Korea’s Foreign Ministry, while expressing regret that the intent of a post meant to highlight universal human rights had been misunderstood, also conveyed condolences to Holocaust victims in an effort to contain the fallout. In February, Lee also drew objections from Cambodia after sharing an article about Chinese criminal organizations there and writing that anyone who touched Koreans would face ruin.

The presidential office should overhaul the system for conveying the president’s messages. At a sensitive time, repeated controversy caused by unverified social media posts viewed around the world should not continue.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.