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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a joint session of the Cabinet Meeting and the Emergency Economic Review Meeting at the Blue House on May 20. / Yonhap News Agency

President Lee Jae-myung criticized the Israeli military's seizure of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla carrying a South Korean activist on May 20, questioning the legality of detaining foreign vessels in international waters. Asserting that the government must lodge a formal protest if South Korean citizens are being held without valid grounds under international law, President Lee ordered officials to review potential countermeasures.

"Is it justifiable to seize a third-country vessel on a volunteer mission, and to arrest and detain its passengers?" President Lee asked during a joint session of the 22nd Cabinet Meeting and the 9th Emergency Economic Review Meeting held at the Blue House on Wednesday afternoon. His remarks framed the detention of the South Korean activist as a critical matter of citizen protection while simultaneously challenging the international legal justification of Israel's military blockades and ship seizures around the Gaza Strip.

President Lee pressed further, asking, "What is the legal basis? Were they in Israeli territorial waters?" According to the Korean Flotilla for Free Palestine (KFFP), the Gaza aid vessel carrying the South Korean activist was recently intercepted by Israeli naval commandos. The organization claims that a total of 41 vessels have been seized so far.

When President Lee questioned whether the ship was intercepted within Israeli waters or had violated Israeli sovereignty, National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac responded, "It was not within their territorial waters, but Israel maintains military control over the entire Gaza region."

In response, President Lee pointed out, "Isn't that an illegal aggression by Israel? Just because Israel has invaded another country and is engaged in combat, does that give them the right to arbitrarily seize third-country vessels at will?"

The president also emphasized the need for a government-level protest. "Shouldn't we protest?" he said. "Is it not true that our citizen was detained under grounds that do not hold up under international law?"

Condemning Israel's actions, President Lee remarked, "From what I see, this is going too far. It is deeply inhumane." He then brought up Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting, "Hasn't an arrest warrant already been issued for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) after being recognized as a war criminal?"

President Lee added, "The vast majority of European nations have announced that they recognize the arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu and will arrest him if he enters their territory."

Concluding his remarks, the president directed officials, saying, "Let us also deliberate on the execution of the arrest warrant." National Security Advisor Wi responded, "We will look into it."