Kang Kyung-wha Apologizes Again to the People and President, Says to New Zealand "It's a Matter of National Dignity... Cannot Apologize"

Minister Kang Attends National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Meeting... Sharp Criticism Over Allegations of Sexual Harassment by Korean Diplomat
Minister Kang Raises Voice: "Apologizing to Other Countries Is a Matter of National Dignity... Cannot Apologize Here"
Agenda of Unannounced Summit Call: "Greater Responsibility on New Zealand Side"... Refusal to Waive Immunity
No Official Judicial Cooperation Request from New Zealand Yet... New Zealand Rejects Alternative Investigation Methods

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has once again apologized to the public and the president regarding the issue of a South Korean diplomat's sexual harassment allegations that occurred during her tenure at the Embassy in New Zealand, which was mentioned during a summit call between the two countries' leaders.

However, in response to criticism that an apology should be made to the people of the other country since the issue escalated into a diplomatic matter, she drew a line by stating, "As a minister, apologizing to another country is a matter of a different dimension."

On the 25th, Minister Kang appeared before the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary session and said regarding the mention of the diplomat's sexual harassment allegations during the summit call between South Korea and New Zealand, "Regardless of the circumstances, I feel sorry that the president was put in an uncomfortable position."

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the sexual harassment allegations against a South Korean diplomat during a call with President Moon Jae-in on the 28th of last month, which had not been discussed in advance, causing a stir. Diplomat A is suspected of inappropriately touching the body parts of a local male staff member while working at the Embassy in New Zealand in 2017.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been making continuous efforts to resolve the matter privately this year, including mediating between the parties involved, but these attempts have failed. Recently, they notified the parties again for mediation, but no progress has been reported. Earlier, the New Zealand court issued an arrest warrant for diplomat A in February.

In response, Minister Kang apologized for the occurrence of the sexual harassment incident, saying, "I feel sorry. This issue has been a significant burden on diplomacy and has caused concern among the public."

On the 24th, Minister Kang also held a video conference with department heads and stated, "The 'sexual misconduct incident' that occurred at the Embassy in New Zealand was raised during the summit call, which not only became a diplomatic burden for our government but also caused concern to the public, for which I am sorry."

However, regarding the criticism from Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Sang-min that an apology should be made to the New Zealand public and the victim concerning the sexual harassment allegations, she raised her voice, saying that apologizing to the other country is not a matter to be decided lightly.

There was no agenda related to the sexual harassment allegations during the prior working-level consultations before the summit call, which was arranged at New Zealand's request. After the allegations were highlighted again through local media, New Zealand judicial authorities have not officially requested judicial cooperation from the South Korean government. Moreover, New Zealand has rejected alternative investigative methods such as voluntary investigations or submission of written materials by the involved staff.

Minister Kang said, "As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, apologizing to another country is a matter of national dignity," and added, "I cannot offer an apology here and now."

She continued, "It should not have been an agenda during the summit call, but it was, and New Zealand bears significant responsibility for this. Since it has become a diplomatic issue, it is necessary to resolve it while protecting our national dignity and sovereignty."

She also refuted New Zealand's demand for the waiver of diplomatic immunity as an inappropriate request given the circumstances. Minister Kang argued that waiving diplomatic immunity, a core right of a sovereign state, should only be permitted in extremely exceptional cases.

Minister Kang said, "At the time New Zealand requested the waiver of diplomatic immunity, the diplomat in question was already in another country and was not subject to the waiver requested by New Zealand," adding, "Later, New Zealand requested the waiver of the inviolability of the embassy, but the inviolability enjoyed by embassies is a core right of sovereign states and can only be permitted in serious cases."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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