On the 14th, President Lee Jae-myung said, "Some people who give advice in the title match because they play a little omok (baduk), advice is fine, but you must not flip the board." He did not mention a specific case, but it was a direct rebuttal after the opposition camp attacked him for a "diplomatic disaster" when he shared an old video showing inhumane actions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Since first posting the related message, he has been engaged for four days in an "SNS war of words" with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the opposition party, and others.
That morning, Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Obsessed with family feuds, some look ready to side with Martians invading Earth, but shouldn't we first save Earth before anything else." This was his fifth message on the matter. On the 11th, after sharing the video and writing, "There is no difference between the massacre of Jews and killings during wartime," the Israeli Foreign Ministry officially pushed back. Lee then responded, "It would be worth reconsidering at least once, but disappointing," and, answering each criticism of a "diplomatic disaster," said "traitor."
Earlier, Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a radio interview the previous day about Lee's SNS post, "I hope people will take at face value two points: that he wanted to reaffirm the universal value of human rights and the spirit of respect for life, and that he wanted to express very deep concern about the unforeseen inconveniences and distress our citizens are experiencing."
She also said, "From my constant experience working with the president, if I am at the level of playing omok in terms of baduk, he always plays at the master's title-match level," adding, "In that relationship, if we think about it, the perspective of national interest or pragmatism should not be examined only in a desperate, last-ditch way but also from a long-term viewpoint."