[People人] Harris, US Ambassador to Korea, Notoriously 'Talkative' Hardliner... This Time Directly Mentions "Hormuz Deployment"

1 Year and 6 Months Since Appointment, Controversies Continue
Straightforward Speech and Provocative Actions Persist... Contrasting with Previous Ambassadors' Discreet Conduct

Harry Harris, the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, is entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 6th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] 'A hawkish figure prone to frequent controversies.' This is the general public perception of Harry Harris, the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea who took office in July 2018. During his one and a half years in office, he has been involved in various controversies, including remarks about 'pro-North Korea leftists,' comments related to the termination of the Korea-Japan General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), and pressure on opposition lawmakers regarding the increase of South Korea's defense cost-sharing for U.S. Forces Korea. Regarding his expression of "disappointment" over the GSOMIA termination, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs unusually requested directly that he "refrain" from such remarks.

This time, he mentioned South Korea's deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz. In a KBS interview on the 7th, Ambassador Harris expressed hope that South Korea would send troops there, addressing the South Korean government which must consider various impacts amid the extreme confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. Although he added that South Korea obtains many energy resources from the Middle East, it is viewed as a statement reflecting the U.S. government officials' position. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly stated, "No specific decisions have been made yet," but the public mention of troop deployment by the ambassador to the U.S. is expected to have significant repercussions.

Diplomatic circles judge that his remarks and actions during his one and a half years in office differ greatly from those of previous U.S. ambassadors to South Korea. While all ambassadors act according to their home country's strategy as their duty, previous ambassadors chose discreet methods in line with traditional diplomatic language, whereas his remarks and actions are almost immediately disclosed to the public.

◆ One and a half years in office... controversies over language and actions continue = The 'pro-North Korea leftist' remark surfaced abruptly on September 23 last year during an event where lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties belonging to the 'Korea Future Innovation Forum' were invited to the U.S. ambassador's residence. According to lawmakers who attended the event, he asked, "There are reports that President Moon Jae-in is surrounded by pro-North Korea leftists. What do you think about this?" This raised criticism that his approach was far from the usual practice of avoiding direct mention or choosing neutral terms on politically and socially sensitive issues, leading to questions about bias.

Ambassador Harris's controversy over bias flared up again with his comments on the GSOMIA termination. In an interview with a domestic media outlet in November last year, he said, "The core issue is ultimately the Korea-Japan historical disputes, which have expanded into economic issues," adding, "The big difference is that South Korea has expanded this issue back into the security domain." He particularly expressed "disappointment" over South Korea's expansion of the historical issue into the security realm. This was a rare case of an ambassador directly commenting on a sensitive Korea-Japan diplomatic issue through the media.

Following his remarks, his actions also sparked controversies. At the end of last year, while negotiations on the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) for defense cost-sharing were underway, Ambassador Harris met with Rep. Lee Hye-hoon of the Bareunmirae Party, chair of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, and reportedly repeated about 20 times that South Korea should pay $5 billion in defense cost-sharing. Rep. Lee said, "It seemed like Ambassador Harris called me to his residence and repeated the demand to pay $5 billion about 20 times. I have met many ambassadors over decades, but this was the first time for such a case," expressing surprise and embarrassment. It is believed that the pressure was considerable.

◆ 'Pacific Commander' military background ambassador = Some attribute Ambassador Harris's blunt language and provocative actions to his military background. He is the first Japanese-American four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy, having served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. This background helps understand his unprecedented language and actions, but many criticize that as an ambassador, not a military officer, he is causing unnecessary controversies.

Unnecessary controversies have also led to public outrage. On December 13 last year, some anti-American groups such as the People's Sovereignty Solidarity and the Youth Party declared plans to hold a 'decapitation contest' in front of the U.S. Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, drawing attention. Earlier in October, university students criticized the pressure to increase defense costs by climbing over the U.S. Embassy wall. This was the first time in about 30 years that protesters entered the U.S. ambassador's residence. These incidents occurred as public opinion worsened following Ambassador Harris's repeated demands for a significant increase in South Korea's defense cost-sharing.

He has repeatedly issued clarifications. Ambassador Harris said that the conversation with Rep. Lee was supposed to be confidential but was leaked, adding, "It is disappointing, but I will not rebut." He also denied the controversy over the 'pro-North Korea leftist' remark, stating, "I have never made such remarks either in public or private."

At the beginning of the Year of the Rat (Gyeongja Year), there are many urgent issues to resolve between South Korea and the U.S. These include closely discussing the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz, finalizing the contentious increase in defense cost-sharing, and creating an atmosphere for the resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks. All are urgent and sensitive matters without exception. This is why public attention is focused on Ambassador Harris's actions.

John Bolton, U.S. National Security Advisor to the White House, is talking with Harry Harris, U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, before a meeting with Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 24th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.