Activision has apologized for using footage of the Itaewon crowd crush in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and promised to completely remove the material in the next game update scheduled for November 12. This follows public demands for deletion from the victims' families and Korean player groups.
The controversial footage appears in the game's opening cinematic. The intro presents a montage of news reports depicting a fictional full-scale invasion of South Korea by North Korea, interspersed with real historical footage. A brief clip showing medical personnel performing CPR on people lying on the ground was later identified by players as originating from news coverage following the 2022 Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul.
The Itaewon incident occurred during a crowded street event, where a crowd surge in a narrow alley resulted in 159 deaths and 196 injuries. After the footage was used in a fictional war setting, the Association of Bereaved Families of the October 29 Itaewon Tragedy and the Korea Game Users Association publicly protested and demanded that Activision remove the material.
Activision stated that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is a work of fiction created to deliver an authentic and immersive experience, and the use of real news footage was not intended to evoke or downplay any tragedy, including the Itaewon crowd crush. The company also apologized to the bereaved families, victims, and others affected by the incident, confirming that the relevant footage will be removed via a game update on November 12.