'Ambassador Jeong Jae-ho's "Gapjil" Allegations Keep Him Out of Sight... Briefings and Internal Meetings Canceled'

Ambassador Jeong Jae-ho to China has been reclusive, canceling the regular briefing for correspondents scheduled for the 1st and postponing the internal weekly full staff meeting. Ambassador Jeong, who is under investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after being reported for inappropriate behavior toward staff, has only stated that the reason for canceling the briefing is due to "personal reasons."

On the 1st, a representative of the Korean Embassy in China, when asked about the reason for canceling Ambassador Jeong’s regular briefing for Beijing correspondents or the circumstances related to the abuse of power allegations, said, "There is nothing more to say beyond the existing explanation." Officials added, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters has already detailed its position on the matter, and there is nothing further to explain."

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The ambassador’s failure to follow the originally scheduled agenda on this day occurred after it was reported in the media on the 28th that a staff officer working at the Korean Embassy in Beijing had filed a complaint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this month, accusing Ambassador Jeong of abuse of power. It is known that Ambassador Jeong made insulting remarks in public settings such as conversations in his office or meetings with multiple people. The staff officer who reported the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted recordings of the ambassador’s statements.

The ambassador-level regular briefing, held every first Monday of the week for correspondents to explain Korea-China issues, was canceled unilaterally three days before the scheduled date. The embassy informed the correspondent group on the 29th of last month only that "the monthly briefing will be replaced by a briefing from the Minister-Counselor due to the ambassador’s personal reasons." Ambassador Jeong had previously canceled the ambassador briefing without special reasons and replaced it with a Minister-Counselor briefing in the first week of November 2022, when he had conflicts with the Beijing correspondent group over embargo violations.

On this day, the ambassador did not hold not only the regular briefing but also the weekly full staff meeting conducted every Monday within the embassy for all stationed personnel. An embassy official explained, "The meeting will be held tomorrow, and if there are scheduling conflicts or other reasons related to the ambassador, it can be postponed depending on the situation." When asked if the regular briefing for correspondents could similarly be postponed by one day, the official drew a line, saying, "The circumstances are different." The embassy also did not respond to whether Ambassador Jeong came to work that day.

When further asked whether the staff officer who filed the abuse of power complaint is currently working at the Korean Embassy in Beijing and whether the complainant has been separated from the ambassador in terms of work, the official said, "According to guidelines, separation is required," but declined to provide specific details on how or what kind of separation has been implemented, stating, "It is difficult to discuss." They added, "Please understand that we are cautious because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own internal manual."

Meanwhile, Ambassador Jeong, through the Korean Embassy in China, expressed his position regarding the controversy, stating that the "(abuse of power allegations) are based solely on one-sided claims" and that he would refrain from commenting at this stage.

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