ISNA reported on the 18th (local time) that the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Korean ambassador to Iran to protest against President Yoon Seok-yeol's remarks that "Iran is the enemy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)."
According to a statement from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reza Najafi, Deputy Minister for Legal Affairs and International Organizations, met with Korean Ambassador Yoon Kang-hyun on the same day and emphasized that Iran maintains friendly relations with most countries in the Gulf region.
"The South Korean president's remarks are tantamount to disrupting these friendly relations and harming regional (Middle East) peace and stability," he said.
He added, "The Korean government needs an immediate explanation and correction of its position on this matter."
"If we do not take effective measures to resolve the dispute, we may reconsider bilateral relations," Najafi said, citing the South Korean government's unfriendly measures, such as the freeze on Iranian funds.
Deputy Minister Najafi also demanded clarification on the fact that the Korean president recently mentioned the possibility of manufacturing nuclear weapons, which is in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yun explained that the president's remarks "had nothing to do with Iran's relationship with the UAE or South Korea."
The Korean embassy in Iran said that it is fully communicating with the Iranian side centered on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters.
Due to the restoration of US sanctions against Iran in 2018, about $7 billion of Iranian funds are currently frozen in Korean won in Korea.