Choi Jong-gun, 1st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, summoned Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Aiboshi to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 17th to protest against a high-ranking official of the Japanese Embassy in Korea who recently met with the domestic media and made inappropriate remarks.
In a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Vice Minister Choi made a serious protest against the non-diplomatic and rude remarks made by a senior official of the Japanese embassy in Korea that greatly disparage the efforts of our leader to develop Korea-Japan relations."
"We have requested that the Japanese government promptly take tangible and appropriate measures to prevent a recurrence of this situation," it said.
Ambassador Aiboshi expressed regret for the inappropriate remarks made by the person concerned and said that he would immediately report the request of the Korean government to his home country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Earlier, the JTBC Newsroom reported yesterday that a high-ranking official at the Japanese embassy used inappropriate sexual expressions towards President Moon Jae-in at a meeting with lunch on the 15th.
In response, the Japanese embassy expressed regret through a press release in the name of the ambassador this morning, and said that the party, Minister Hirohisa Soma, was "strictly cautioned".
However, he clarified that the remarks were "never meant for President Moon Jae-in, and I was told that it was withdrawn by Soma, saying that it was an inappropriate remark on the spot."
(Photo = provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap News)