MoF "Minister Nominee Park Jun-young Will Not Use 'Diplomatic Pouch' for Porcelain Import"

Park Jun-young, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, appeared at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 4th and responded to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated regarding the allegations of illegal importation of ceramics by nominee Minister Park Jun-young, "(Nominee Park) did not use diplomatic pouches."

On the 8th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries released a statement explaining, "Nominee Park, upon returning to Korea, shipped his belongings to the country through an overseas moving company, just like other company expatriates."

Earlier, some media reported that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, in a written response recently submitted to the National Assembly, stated that if overseas dispatched public officials engage in commercial activities with items brought in via diplomatic pouches, they could be punished under the State Public Officials Act.

Regarding this, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries explained, "What was specified in the response submitted to the National Assembly was a general judgment on 'personal items brought in using diplomatic pouches' and not at all a position on the nominee minister's case," adding, "The act of nominee Park bringing his belongings into the country upon return has nothing to do with seeking personal gain through duty-free benefits via diplomatic pouches." They further clarified, "Diplomatic pouches are a method of diplomatic communication used to transport official documents between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and overseas diplomatic missions," and "They are a different concept from the moving cargo used by nominee Park upon his return."

Nominee Park is under suspicion that when he returned after working at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom, his wife brought in decorative items worth at least tens of millions of won without customs duties and illegally sold them at a cafe. Previously, nominee Park explained, "The small items purchased by my spouse in the UK were used as home decorations or for household purposes, and there was no intention to sell them at the time; moreover, their value was not highly appraised as they were secondhand goods." He added, "In December 2019, when my spouse opened a cafe (coffee shop), to differentiate it from other stores, some of the items from our home were displayed in the store, and some were sold without recognizing the illegality. We will actively review and take measures regarding customs evasion and business registration issues."

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