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South Korean bereaved-family and civic groups are demanding that Activision remove or replace a roughly three-second CPR shot in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s opening cinematic. Players and local reports have identified the image as archival broadcast footage from the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush, although Activision has confirmed only that some real news footage appears in the cinematic—not that this particular shot came from Itaewon. Activision said the footage was used to support the game’s fictional war narrative and denied any intention to reference or trivialize the disaster. Reports available on October 28, 2026, did not confirm that the clip had been removed.
Why are South Korean families asking Call of Duty to remove the footage?
The October 29 Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association and the Citizens’ Countermeasures Meeting for the Itaewon Disaster say using a real mass-casualty event in entertainment is inappropriate and insensitive. They argue that survivors, witnesses, bereaved relatives and people involved in rescue work can still experience trauma when confronted with images of the incident.
The groups also point to secondary harm from hostile or hateful online comments about the disaster. In a translated statement reported by SBS and Video Games Chronicle, the families’ association said: “Using such an incident as material for a game meant for entertainment purposes is itself highly inappropriate and insensitive.” Their demand is to delete or replace the clip rather than leave it in the opening sequence.
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The reported shot lasts about three seconds and shows a paramedic or emergency responder performing CPR on a collapsed person. South Korean players and local reporting identified it as footage broadcast after the October 29, 2022, Itaewon crowd crush.
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That identification remains an allegation in the available reporting. The Korea Herald described the Itaewon connection as an identification made by players and local reports. Activision acknowledged that actual news-report footage was included in the cinematic, but its statement did not expressly identify the CPR image as footage from Itaewon.
Did Modern Warfare 4 use real footage from the Itaewon crowd crush?
The most precise answer is that the game’s opening cinematic contains some real news footage, according to Activision; the reports do not establish conclusively that the specific CPR shot is from Itaewon. That distinction matters because the company’s statement confirms the broader practice without confirming the source of every individual image.
The reports summarized here also do not describe any consent, licensing arrangement or editorial disclosure for the disputed shot. They establish what the groups and players identified, what Activision acknowledged generally, and what the company said about its intent, but not the clip’s chain of custody.
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Activision’s statement, translated and reproduced by SBS and VGC, said: “Some of the actual news report footage included in the game’s opening cinematic was utilized as an element to convey the fictional narrative within the work.”
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The company added: “We had no intention whatsoever to reference or treat lightly any actual tragic events, including the Itaewon disaster.” The statement addresses intent and the use of news footage, but it does not say that the disputed image was removed, replaced or digitally altered.
Has Activision removed or replaced the footage yet?
Not according to the reports available on October 28, 2026. The Korea Times specifically reported that Activision’s response did not say whether the footage would be removed. No public announcement of a replacement or an update was included in the reporting summarized for this article.
That means the status should be described as unconfirmed rather than as proof that the clip remains in every copy of the game. The available reports do not specify a platform-by-platform or region-by-region update schedule.
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What is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 about?
Modern Warfare 4 is described as a first-person shooter built around a fictional full-scale North Korean invasion of South Korea. The campaign includes fighting in Seoul, which is why news imagery associated with a South Korean tragedy appears especially jarring to the organizations objecting to the cinematic.
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SBS reported that the game launched worldwide on October 23, 2026. The Itaewon crowd crush occurred on October 29, 2022, so the controversy emerged days before the fourth anniversary of the disaster.
What are the Korean game and civic groups requesting?
The bereaved-family and civic organizations want the clip deleted or replaced. The Korea Game Users Association has separately called for a clear explanation of how the footage entered the cinematic, an apology to bereaved families and others harmed by its use, and an update replacing it.
The users association also warned against turning the dispute into a broader call for censorship or unjustified restrictions on game content. Its position separates accountability for using real disaster footage from a general ban on fictional depictions of war or tragedy.
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| Date | Event | What the reports establish |
|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2022 | Itaewon crowd crush | Video Games Chronicle reported 159 deaths and 196 injuries; other reports described more than 150 deaths. |
| October 23, 2026 | Modern Warfare 4 worldwide release | SBS reported the global launch date. |
| October 28, 2026 | Controversy reported internationally | Reports described the CPR shot, the groups’ demands and Activision’s response shortly before the fourth anniversary. |
Why does the distinction between archival footage and fictional imagery matter?
The dispute is not only about whether a game may depict a disaster. It concerns whether an entertainment work inserted recognisable, real-world news imagery of an actual death scene into a fictional storyline, and whether the people connected to that event were given meaningful context or consideration.
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Questions likely to shape any follow-up include whether the image is archival or recreated, whether victims or rescuers can be identified, how directly it is tied to the real event, what consent or licensing information is disclosed, and whether the publisher offers a correction, apology or replacement. The statements currently reported answer only part of that list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the footage described as “alleged” Itaewon footage?
Players and South Korean reports matched the CPR image to broadcast coverage of the Itaewon disaster, but Activision has not publicly confirmed that this particular shot came from that event. The company has confirmed only that some real news footage appears in the cinematic.
Why did the controversy surface so close to the game’s release?
The game was reported as launching worldwide on October 23, 2026, while reports about the clip appeared on October 28, one day before the October 29 anniversary of the 2022 crowd crush. That timing brought renewed attention to the image and to the families’ objections.
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Did Activision disclose who licensed the news footage?
The statements reported by SBS, VGC and the Korea Times discuss the footage’s narrative purpose and the company’s intent, but they do not identify a licensor or publish consent terms for the disputed image.
Could the footage be changed in one version of the game before another?
The available reports do not provide a platform-by-platform or regional patch schedule. Until Activision publishes an update, it is not possible to say whether any edition has received a replacement.
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