Bereaved families in South Korea are demanding that the makers of the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 remove real footage of the deadly 2022 Seoul crowd crush. The clips, which are seconds long, are used to depict civilian casualties during a fictional North Korean invasion in the game.
The footage shows scenes of chaos, including CPR being performed on a victim in the street and rows of bodies laid out. A total of 158 people died in the 2022 Halloween weekend crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district. Two more have since died from trauma related to the disaster.
“We are appalled that the chaotic and desperate scenes…were used exactly as they were to create a scene in a game,” stated the bereaved families’ council and a coalition of civic groups in a joint statement. They added that individuals involved in the rescue or who witnessed the crush are still experiencing trauma, and that hateful comments about the victims are spreading online in connection with the game.
Activision, the game’s publisher, told Yonhap news agency that “some actual news footage included in the game’s opening cinematic was utilised as an element to convey the fictional story within the work.” The company stated, “We had absolutely no intention of mentioning or treating lightly any actual tragic events, including the Itaewon tragedy.” The demand comes as South Korea marks the fourth anniversary of the crush.
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Source: theguardian.com
