Bereaved families in South Korea have reportedly demanded the removal of clips from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush used in the opening of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. Their demand comes as South Korea marks the disaster’s fourth anniversary, while Activision says it did not intend to treat the tragedy lightly. The crowd crush killed 158 people in a narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district during Halloween weekend in 2022.
Families and civic groups have claimed that using these scenes in a fictional conflict disregards the trauma rescuers and witnesses still experience, according to a Guardian report. Two more people who later died from trauma caused by the disaster have since been recognised as victims. “We are appalled that the chaotic and desperate scenes, in which countless citizens performed CPR to save one another and victims lay on the cold street, were used exactly as they were to create a scene in a game,” the bereaved families’ council and a coalition of civic groups said in a joint statement this week. The groups said people who participated in rescue efforts or witnessed the disaster were still living with trauma. They also said hateful comments about victims were spreading online in connection with the game’s fictional premise. Players in South Korea identified the footage after the game’s release. It told the 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 publisher added: “We had absolutely no intention of mentioning or treating lightly any actual tragic events, including the Itaewon tragedy.” Modern Warfare 4 follows a South Korean marine private fighting a fictional North Korean invasion through recognisable Korean streets.
Call of Duty faces objections over real disaster footage. The footage depicts civilian casualties during a fictional North Korean invasion. The seconds-long clips show emergency resuscitation, bodies laid out on a road and a victim being carried on a stretcher. Korean broadcasters subsequently compared the clips with recordings from the night of the crush. The Korean Game Users Association has also called for an apology and for the footage to be replaced. Activision, the game’s publisher, acknowledged using real news footage in the opening sequence. The game topped South Korea’s Steam sales chart within days of release. However, the report does not indicate that Activision has agreed to remove or replace the disputed footage. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.