Kim Ah-hyun, left, an activist who was detained by Israeli forces while aboard a Gaza aid flotilla, and later freed on Wednesday, together with Kim Dong-hyeon, right, another activist who participated in the flotilla, talks to reporters after arriving at the Incheon International Airport, Friday. Yonhap
Two Korean nationals detained by Israeli forces after joining a Gaza-bound aid flotilla returned home Friday vowing to sail to the territory again, despite a government-imposed passport ban, setting the stage for a deepening legal and diplomatic confrontation that has polarized public opinion.
Supporters argue that humanitarian aid work is a fundamental right and the passport cancellation was unjust, while critics claim the activists' actions place an undue burden on the state.
Kim Ah-hyun, widely known by her activist name Haecho, and Kim Dong-hyeon arrived at Incheon International Airport at 6:24 a.m., after being freed from Israeli custody on Wednesday. The two, who were aboard different ships participating in the flotilla, were detained by Israeli forces in international waters on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, Kim Ah-hyun said she was mistreated during her detention. “I was illegally abducted and imprisoned by Israel. The Israeli forces were furious. When I arrived at the prison, many people had already been beaten,” she said. “I can’t hear well out of one ear because I was beaten so badly.”
It was her second detention by Israeli forces. She was previously held in October 2025 for similar activity and released after two days.
She pledged to return regardless of the legal consequences, stressing that people in Gaza are dying from unrelenting bombardment and starvation.
“I always have plans to visit the strip … until Gaza is freed, and I will be visiting isolated lands in Palestine and other countries,” she said. “I have the right to do whatever I want despite the government’s legal actions against my passport.”
Korean President Lee Jae Myung openly criticized Israel on Wednesday for capturing the activists in international waters, while asking his aides to consider complying with an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A screen capture from a video uploaded by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on X (formerly Twitter) shows activists, who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Captured from Itamar Ben-Gvir's X account
Source: Korea Times News
