Seoul rebukes US envoy Harry Harris over ‘very inappropriate’ Moon Jae-in comments – and his moustache
- Ambassador had called for consultations with Washington over South Korean president’s plans for joint projects with Pyongyang
- Critics say Harris’ facial hair alludes to appearance of governors-general during Japan’s colonisation of Korean peninsula
South Korea’s presidential office on Friday publicly rebuked the US ambassador for urging consultations over President Moon Jae-in’s plans for joint projects with the nuclear-armed North, calling his remarks “very inappropriate”.
Seoul and Washington are security allies and the US stations 28,500 troops in the country to defend it from the nuclear-armed North, but their relations are sometimes strained.
US President Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric towards Pyongyang in 2017 provoked alarm in the South, and more recently it has been stung by his demands that it pay US$5 billion a year towards the American troops’ costs.
They have also differed in their approach towards the North: negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been at a standstill since the Hanoi summit collapsed in February last year, and Pyongyang recently announced the abandonment of its nuclear and missile test moratoriums.
But Moon has maintained his efforts to push engagement – despite a series of rebukes from Pyongyang – and earlier this week raised the prospect of Southern tourist visits to the North.