It has been pointed out that the Lee Jae-myung administration's denigration of the Jewish state in favor of the brutal Iranian regime is rooted in North Korean ideology.

This was stated by Abraham Cooper, associate dean and global social action director at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Greg Scarlatoiu, CEO of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, in an op-ed published by UPI on the 4th.

This article comes amidst a barrage of criticism from the United States regarding South Korea's leftward shift and President Lee Jae-myung.

The authors pointed out that President Lee Jae-myung triggered a diplomatic conflict between South Korea and Israel, making highly offensive remarks comparing the Holocaust and Israel in the very week Israel was commemorating Yom HaShoah, which honors the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

The problematic remarks were based on the dissemination of false information, presented as current events, which was fabricated from an incident that occurred in 2024. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately expressed regret that Lee did not mention attacks on Israeli civilians, including those by Iranian-backed terrorist groups.

However, the Democratic Party of Korea exacerbated the situation by invoking international law and claiming that the current US-Iran conflict was due to Israel's involvement.

The authors noted that South Korea has transformed from a country that received international aid to one that provides it, having achieved the "Miracle on the Han River," and has solidified its status as a leading middle power.

In the process, South Korea shifted to an export-driven economy, increasing its reliance on fossil fuels. Following oil shocks, it actively pursued markets in Middle Eastern countries, spearheaded by its construction companies.

Against this backdrop, South Korea has generally maintained a neutral and balanced stance towards all Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, the authors concluded.

However, Lee Jae-myung's remarks broke this tradition of neutral and balanced diplomacy in the Middle East.

The authors point out that while over a third of South Korea's population is Christian, Christianity was established without anti-Semitic prejudice. North Korea, however, is different. North Korea completely disregards Israel's thousands of years of history prior to its establishment in 1948.

Since the Kim Il-sung era, the Kim regime has propagated the narrative that "Israel is a state created by American and British imperialists in May 1948 by dividing Palestine." North Korea supports Iran, as it needs Iranian funding to continue developing its deadly weapons despite UN and US sanctions.

"South Korea's anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in North Korea's ideology," the authors conclude.

They then question: "Is South Korea, led by President Lee, now aligning with the Kim Jong Un regime's anti-Israel stance? Is South Korea no longer a reliable diplomatic middle power? Or is there still hope for Koreans and Jews to overcome this diplomatic catastrophe and unite their compatriots at home and abroad based on mutual respect, honor, and trust?"

By Hong Seong-gu, Chief Reporter, NNP USA / Special Contribution, NNP info@newsandpost.com