Lee Jae Myung’s clash was about more than human rights, analysts say – it was about energy security and sending a message to Donald Trump
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenPark Chan-kyongPublished: 12:22pm, 14 Apr 2026At least 26 South Korean tankers are thought to be stranded near the Strait of Hormuz. That fact alone may best explain why President Lee Jae Myung walked into a diplomatic firefight with Israel last week, analysts say.The row erupted on Friday when Lee commented on a grainy clip that appeared to show Israeli soldiers pushing a body from a rooftop.
The comparison landed like a lit match. Israel’s foreign ministry swiftly fired back, accusing Lee of trivialising the massacre of Jews on the eve of the country’s Holocaust Remembrance Day and of amplifying a “fake account” notorious for spreading anti-Israeli disinformation.
