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Korea ordered diplomat in Vietnam to return over controversial interview
By a2017001Published : May 1, 2017 - 10:10
South Korea's foreign ministry ordered a diplomat stationed in Vietnam to return home in January over a controversial interview in which he made allegations about the murky appointments of two senior colleagues, an informed source said Monday.
Kim Jae-cheon, a South Korean consul in Ho Chi Minh City, claimed in an interview with a local cable news channel in November that Choi Soon-sil, a longtime confidante to former president Park Geun-hye, played a role in appointing the top envoy in Vietnam and a consul general in Ho Chi Minh City.
"Kim was ordered to come back to Seoul in January, apparently due to his TV interview. But I heard that he rejected it since he didn't say anything wrong," a source close to the consul told Yonhap News Agency on the condition of anonymity.
In the surprise on-camera interview, Kim alleged that Choi, who was at the center of a corruption scandal that led to the ouster of Park, recommended Jun Dae-joo as the South Korean ambassador to Vietnam in 2013. Also, he said she was involved in appointing Park Noh-wan in 2015 to consul general in Ho Chi Minh City.
Jun, who left office in April 2016, was a businessman-turned-consultant in Vietnam who had no diplomatic background. Park Noh-wan worked with Jun at the Vietnamese Embassy before he was named consul general.
Jun's appointment, in particular, raised eyebrows since he had no background in diplomacy or public office. The foreign ministry explained at that time that he was chosen to bring in fresh blood.
None of the allegations surrounding the diplomats in Vietnam have been proven true. The two in question have also denied the claims.
A foreign ministry official said that no such action was taken to order Kim's return but added that "various" ways are under consideration to address his future fate.
"We have not officially ordered him to return," he said.
"Still, most of what he has claimed has not been proven.... Some people say that he should be protected since he is a whistleblower but something should be done because his claims appear to be groundless," he said.
The November interview drew keen attention as the country was in the midst of a snowballing scandal involving Choi and then-President Park. Park and Choi are currently standing trial for extorting a large amount of money from businesses.
In April, South Korean Ambassador to Myanmar Yoo Jae-kyung offered to resign after it was revealed that he had been recommended by Choi. Yoo, a former senior executive at Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., also had no experience in diplomacy, and investigations showed that his appointment in 2016 was intended to help Choi's business in Myanmar.
Kim In-sik, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, a state-run overseas aid agency, also delivered his intention to step down recently amid allegations that he was chosen by the same scandal-ridden woman for the post in May last year. (Yonhap)
