The publisher of 'Call of Duty' removed real footage of a 2022 Seoul crowd crush after public criticism
A new Call of Duty game features a fictional North Korean invasion and includes real footage from a 2022 crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district. More than 150 people died during the event, which occurred in narrow streets during a Halloween party. The game's opening cinematic uses actual news footage from the disaster, sparking outrage from bereaved families and civic groups.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 features a fictional North Korean invasion storyline.
- The Itaewon crowd crush killed more than 150 people.
- Activision stated that actual news footage was included in the opening cinematic sequence.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is receiving backlash for allegedly using footage from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush.
- Families of victims demanded removal of disaster footage from a game.
- Activision stated it will remove the problematic footage through a game update scheduled for release on Nov. 12.
- The controversial clip shows paramedics performing CPR on a collapsed person.
- Han Dong-hoon urged President Lee to play the game to understand defense preparedness.
- The Korean Game Users Association requested that Activision issue a formal apology and replace the clip.
- The Korean War ended with an armistice instead of a peace treaty.
- Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young stated video games are protected creative expression.
- The deadly crush in Seoul occurred in 2022.
- Activision stated it had no intention to reference or trivialize the Itaewon disaster.
- The game reached the top of the sales ranking on Steam in South Korea.
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