South Korea summons Japanese ambassador after diplomat’s crude remarks about Moon-Suga summit

South Korea hoped Moon Jae-in’s possible visit to Tokyo for the Olympics, which open on July 23, would include a summit with Yoshihide Suga
However, Japanese media have reported the Japanese prime minister plans to meet leaders attending the opening ceremony for about 15 minutes each

Diplomacy

Park Chan-kyong

Published: 11:45am, 17 Jul 2021

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The South Korean government has summoned the Japanese ambassador to the foreign ministry over crude remarks about President Moon Jae-in and his attempt to organise a summit with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga during the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

Hirohisa Soma, the deputy head of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, reportedly ridiculed Moon’s chances of holding a summit with Suga during the Games, accusing the South Korean president of “masturbating”.

In response, South Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun called ambassador Koichi Aiboshi to the foreign ministry to express its “grave” regret and lodge a protest over Soma’s “undiplomatic and rude” remarks. The foreign ministry also urged the Japanese government to “take substantial and proper steps expeditiously to prevent recurrences”, it said in a statement.

“It was quite inappropriate for a diplomat to make such remarks,” the ministry said. “We’re taking this incident seriously, and we will take proper diplomatic measures.”

Soma reportedly made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to a journalist from South Korea’s JTBC about the faltering negotiations for Moon’s visit to Tokyo for the opening of the Olympics next week. South Korea hoped Moon’s possible visit to Tokyo for the Games, which open on July 23, would include an hour-long summit with Suga.

Two of Moon’s senior aides last week said the president would visit Tokyo only if there was an opportunity for an extended summit with Suga, giving the two leaders a chance to address fraught relations between their countries. However, Japanese media have reported Suga plans to meet leaders attending the opening ceremony for about 15 minutes each.

“President Moon is masturbating,” Soma reportedly told the JTBC reporter. “The Japanese government cannot afford to worry about the Korea-Japan issue as much as South Korea thinks … President Moon is engaged in a war of nerves on his own.”

Soma apologised for his remarks and later clarified that the expression was intended to describe “the trend of Korean diplomacy” and was not directed specifically at Moon.

Ties between South Korea and Japan have been strained by disputes over historical issues stemming from World War II and the period of Japanese colonial rule, including forced labour and the use of sex slaves, as well as Tokyo’s more recent decision to impose export restrictions.

Koichi Aiboshi, the Japanese ambassador to South Korea, with Choi Jong-kun, South Korea’s first vice foreign minister. Photo: Handout

According to JTBC, Soma insisted South Korea should make the first move to improve ties with Japan by presenting solutions in the areas of disagreement.

“The South Korean government must first submit answer sheets to the two homework issues: ‘comfort women’ and forced labour,” he said.

Japan recently refused to amend an Olympic torch relay map marking a cluster of disputed islets – known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan – as Japanese territory.

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After JTBC first reported Soma’s comments on Friday, the Japanese embassy in Seoul sought to contain the diplomatic fallout as Aiboshi made a statement expressing regret.

“Soma’s remarks were very improper and quite regrettable ones for a diplomat to make, even if they were made during background conversations [with a journalist],” he said, adding that he had “dressed [Soma] down severely”.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: japanese envoy called in over lewd moon slur