‘Call of Duty’ slammed for using real Seoul crowd crush footage

Families of victims of South Korea’s deadly Halloween crowd crush have demanded that footage of the disaster used in the latest instalment of “Call of Duty” be removed, a representative told AFP Thursday. Moreover, the families condemned its “complete lack of sensitivity”.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4“, the newest edition of the hit franchise, features a full-scale North Korean invasion of the South. The game begins with a surprise attack by Pyongyang’s forces.

In a scene from the game that briefs players on the damage caused by the invasion, footage from the deadly 2022 crush is used. This crush killed more than 150 revellers. In addition, the footage is used to depict the aftermath of the attack.

Desperate efforts to perform CPR, police and firefighters controlling the scene, and bodies lined up along the streets are shown. In addition, monochrome tones and noise filters are added to make it appear as if it was the result of war.

Using the footage “showed a complete lack of sensitivity to the pain felt by bereaved families, victims and citizens when seeing the disaster site as it was, and a failure to consider the dignity of those who died”, Cho In-young, an official with a committee representing victims’ families, told AFP.

“Bereaved families from overseas are currently in South Korea to attend the memorial ceremony, and we plan to formally raise the issue after collecting their signatures,” Cho added.

“We cannot help but be appalled that footage of the chaotic and desperate scenes of the disaster … was used directly to recreate a scene in a video game,” the committee and a coalition of civic groups said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

“Using such a tragedy as material for a video game for entertainment purposes is highly inappropriate and thoughtless,” the statement said.

“If the game developers have even the slightest respect and empathy for the victims of the Itaewon disaster, it should take corrective action as soon as possible.”

The game’s publisher, Activision, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

But in an interview with South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the company said the footage was used “as an element to convey the fictional story depicted in the game”.

“There was absolutely no intention to reference or trivialise the Itaewon disaster or any other real-life tragedy,” it added.

The tragedy marked its fourth anniversary on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, had been out on October 29, 2022. They went to enjoy the first post-pandemic Halloween celebrations in Seoul’s popular Itaewon nightlife district.

But the night turned deadly when people poured into a narrow, sloping alleyway between bars and clubs. The weight of their bodies and a lack of effective crowd control led to scores being crushed to death.