{"id":2204120,"date":"2024-03-08T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2204120"},"modified":"2024-03-07T17:41:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T08:41:55","slug":"former-south-korean-defense-ministers-appointment-as-envoy-sparks-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/03\/former-south-korean-defense-ministers-appointment-as-envoy-sparks-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Former South Korean defense minister\u2019s appointment as envoy sparks controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20240304002800315?section=search\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">appointed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> former defense minister Lee Jong-sup as the country\u2019s ambassador to Australia on March 4, despite Lee being banned from overseas travel due to allegations of abuse of power related to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/08\/how-a-botched-military-probe-risks-eroding-south-korean-national-security\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">death of a marine<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Corporal Chae Su-geun, in July last year. The opposition Democratic Party (DP) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/theminjoo.kr\/main\/sub\/news\/view.php?brd=11&amp;post=1202591\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">criticized<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the move, claiming that appointing Lee as ambassador amounted to an attempt by the president to help a suspected accomplice escape overseas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued Lee a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20240307008400315?input=tw\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">diplomatic passport<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Thursday as the new top envoy to Australia, which the ministry stated was customary for newly appointed chiefs of diplomatic missions. The ministry added that Lee was \u201cnot subject\u201d to administrative sanction measures under the country\u2019s Passport Act. However, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) summoned Lee for questioning on the same day regarding allegations that he exerted influence to hold off the findings of an internal probe by the Marine Corps on Chae\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a former defense minister, Lee adhered to Yoon\u2019s \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.korea.kr\/news\/top50View.do?newsId=148910199\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sales diplomacy<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d meeting with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/02\/rok-defense-minister-to-visit-uae-and-poland-for-talks\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">global counterparts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to boost military exports. South Korea likely views Australia as another potential arms client, given its successful exports of K9 howitzers and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/07\/south-koreas-hanwha-chosen-to-supply-redback-ifvs-to-australian-army\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (IFVs), even though Australia reduced its IFV purchase due to shifting priorities toward acquiring nuclear submarines via AUKUS. His appointment signals Seoul\u2019s intent to pursue closer arms cooperation with Canberra.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, Lee\u2019s legal troubles cast a shadow over his appointment. The ongoing investigation, travel ban, and the CIO\u2019s summons raise questions about the appropriateness of his nomination and the government&#8217;s commitment to accountability and transparency. The issuance of a diplomatic passport to Lee, despite the travel ban, will likely continue to fuel the controversy. Delays in naming an ambassador to Australia due to the investigation may cause diplomatic embarrassment for South Korea, even if it does not significantly damage bilateral ties.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/defense-security\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Defense &amp; Security<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/domestic-politics\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/inter-korean-foreign-relations\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Inter-Korean &amp; Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed former defense minister Lee Jong-sup as the country\u2019s ambassador to Australia on March 4, despite Lee being banned from overseas travel due to allegations of abuse of power related to the death of a marine, Corporal Chae Su-geun, in July last year. The opposition Democratic Party (DP) criticized the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2204122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[26,27,28],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Former South Korean defense minister\u2019s appointment as envoy sparks controversy - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/03\/former-south-korean-defense-ministers-appointment-as-envoy-sparks-controversy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former South Korean defense minister\u2019s appointment as envoy sparks controversy - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed former defense minister Lee Jong-sup as the country\u2019s ambassador to Australia on March 4, despite Lee being banned from overseas travel due to allegations of abuse of power related to the death of a marine, Corporal Chae Su-geun, in July last year. 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