Call of Duty game under fire for using real Itaewon crowd crush footage

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 drew condemnation in South Korea after players identified what appeared to be real footage of people performing CPR during the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush. The footage appeared in a sequence depicting civilian casualties in the game’s fictional North Korean invasion of South Korea. Bereaved families and civic groups demanded its removal in a joint statement Wednesday. Activision said actual news footage was included to convey the fictional story and that it did not intend to reference or trivialize the Itaewon disaster or another real-life tragedy.

The Itaewon crowd crush killed more than 150 people on Oct. 29, 2022, and Thursday marks its fourth anniversary.

The council representing bereaved families and a coalition of civic groups supporting them issued the joint statement condemning the footage.

Activision’s statement did not say whether the company would remove the footage.

Published Oct 28, 2026 8:09 pm KST

A promotional image for the new game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 / Courtesy of Activision

The latest installment in the global Call of Duty game franchise drew condemnation from bereaved families and civic groups in South Korea after players discovered that it contained real footage from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush.

The game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, depicts a full-scale North Korean invasion of South Korea, and initially drew attention in South Korea for its realistic portrayal of the country.

However, the reception turned hostile after viewers identified what appeared to be real footage of bystanders performing CPR during the Itaewon tragedy during a sequence showing civilian casualties from the fictional war.

The crowd crush killed more than 150 people on Oct. 29, 2022, and Thursday marks its fourth anniversary.

The council representing bereaved families and a coalition of civic groups supporting them issued a joint statement Wednesday, condemning the use of the footage and demanding its removal.

“We cannot help but be appalled that the chaotic and desperate scenes of citizens performing CPR to save one another, with victims lying on the cold streets, were used unchanged to create a scene in a game,” the groups said.

The game's publisher Activision told Yonhap News Agency that some actual news footage was included in the opening cinematic sequence to convey the game’s fictional story. The company said it had no intention of referencing or trivializing the Itaewon disaster or any other real-life tragedy.

The statement did not say whether the company would remove the footage.

《使命召唤：现代战争4》在韩国引发强烈谴责，起因是玩家发现游戏中出现了疑似2022年梨泰院人群踩踏事件中人们进行心肺复苏的真实画面。这段画面出现在游戏中虚构的朝鲜入侵韩国的场景中，用于展现平民伤亡。遇难者家属和民间团体周三发表联合声明，要求移除这段画面。动视暴雪表示，使用真实的新闻画面是为了更好地呈现虚构的故事情节，并非有意影射或淡化梨泰院惨案或其他现实悲剧。

2022年10月29日，梨泰院人群踩踏事件造成150多人死亡，本周四是该事件四周年纪念日。

代表遇难者家属的委员会和支持他们的公民团体联盟发表联合声明，谴责这段视频。

动视暴雪的声明并未说明该公司是否会删除这段视频。

发布于2026年10月28日晚上8:09（韩国标准时间）

《使命召唤：现代战争4》宣传图 / 图片由动视提供

全球热门游戏系列《使命召唤》的最新作品在玩家发现其中包含 2022 年梨泰院人群踩踏事件的真实画面后，遭到了韩国遇难者家属和民间团体的谴责。

游戏《使命召唤：现代战争 4》描绘了朝鲜全面入侵韩国的场景，最初因其对朝鲜的真实刻画而在韩国引起了关注。

然而，在一段展现虚构战争中平民伤亡的场景中，观众发现似乎有旁观者在梨泰院惨案中实施心肺复苏的真实画面，这导致观众的反应变得敌对。

2022 年 10 月 29 日，人群踩踏事件造成 150 多人死亡，本周四是该事件发生四周年纪念日。

代表遇难者家属的委员会和支持他们的公民团体联盟周三发表联合声明，谴责使用该视频，并要求将其删除。

这些团体表示：“我们感到震惊的是，游戏中竟然原封不动地使用了市民们互相施以心肺复苏术、受害者躺在冰冷街道上的混乱绝望的场景来制造游戏画面。”

游戏发行商动视告诉韩联社，开场动画中包含了一些真实的新闻片段，旨在展现游戏的虚构故事。该公司表示，他们无意影射或淡化梨泰院地震或其他任何现实悲剧。

声明中并未提及该公司是否会删除这段视频。