The opening cinematic of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III" used actual news footage from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush in Seoul. The Bereaved Families Association of the Itaewon Disaster has requested that Activision remove the relevant clips, while the Korea Game Users Association has also called for the removal and replacement of the material.
The game primarily revolves around the conflict between North and South Korea, with the opening presenting a fictional full-scale invasion of South Korea by North Korea through a montage of news reports. One brief shot shows emergency responders performing CPR on individuals lying on the ground, which some South Korean players recognized as footage from news coverage of the Itaewon incident. That tragedy resulted in 159 deaths and 196 injuries.
The bereaved families' association stated that it is inappropriate to use a real-life disaster, which caused massive casualties and continues to traumatize survivors, for entertainment in a video game, urging the developers to rectify the issue as soon as possible. The Korea Game Users Association also demanded the removal of the footage, requesting that Activision explain how disaster imagery unrelated to the game's plot was used, issue an apology, and replace the assets via an update.
Activision acknowledged that the opening cinematic incorporated some real news footage to convey the game's fictional narrative. The company also stated that it had no intention of referencing or trivializing any real-world tragedies, such as the Itaewon incident. As of now, there are no reports indicating that Activision has committed to deleting or replacing the footage or releasing an update.