Seoul:Call of Duty video game makers have issued an apology for incorporating real footage from the deadly 2022 Seoul crowd crush in their latest game, pledging to remove the content. The incident, which led to the deaths of 159 people in Seoul's Itaewon district during Halloween celebrations on October 29, 2022, was shown in the opening scenes of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 as part of a fictional war scenario involving North Korea.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the controversial footage depicted a paramedic performing CPR on a victim amidst the aftermath of the disaster. The game presents a narrative of a full-scale invasion of South Korea by North Korea, incorporating the real-life tragedy into its storyline.

Activision Publishing Inc., the game developers, expressed their apology to the victims and their families, acknowledging the distress caused by their use of the footage. They announced that the content would be removed in an update scheduled for November 12. The company emphasized that there was no intention to evoke tragic events or disregard the suffering caused by the disaster in their creative process.

The inclusion of the footage has been met with criticism from the bereaved families, who accused the publisher of "lacking common sense" and have demanded the complete removal of the clip from the game.