Korean activists who had been aboard a Gaza-bound aid ship seized by Israeli forces have been released.
"The Lee Jae-myung administration expresses strong regret over Israel's arrest of our citizens through the seizure. However, we highly value and welcome Israel's immediate release of our citizens," Presidential Office Senior Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a briefing Friday.
"The government made every effort to provide the necessary consular assistance and diplomatic response on this matter, and as a result, Israel deported the two Korean nationals directly without holding them in detention facilities," Kang explained. She added that Israel had expressed its hope that "Korea-Israel relations will not be affected by this incident and will further develop."
"The safety and sovereignty of our citizens are paramount and represent the very reason for the existence of the state and government — this is President Lee Jae-myung's longstanding principle and philosophy," Kang said. "The Lee Jae-myung administration will fulfill its responsibility as a government that places the lives and safety of citizens first and protects their lives."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier disclosed its release efforts the previous day, stating, "We have been requesting Israeli authorities through various channels to ensure that, in the event a vessel carrying Korean nationals is seized, they be released and deported within the shortest possible period, with the safety of our citizens as the top priority."
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung strongly condemned Israel's arrest of Korean nationals at a Cabinet meeting the previous day. The president instructed officials to also consider issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal.
