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| President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during his visit to the Akh Unit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday (local time). Yonhap |
Seoul seeks to defuse controversy
By Kang Seung-woo
President Yoon Suk Yeol's description of Iran as the "enemy" of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provoked protest from Tehran as it calls Yoon's remark undiplomatic and asks for Seoul's explanation.
The government is stepping up to prevent the issue from creating diplomatic problems with Iran.
Yoon made the remarks during his visit to the Akh Unit, which trains the UAE's special operations forces, Sunday (local time), as part of his efforts to encourage its soldiers.
"You are here because the UAE is our brother nation," Yoon told the troops. "And (defending) our brother nation's security is as important as that of South Korea's. The UAE's enemy ― the most threatening nation ― is Iran and our enemy is North Korea… We are in a very similar position to the UAE."
He was on a four-day state visit to the Middle Eastern country when he made the comment.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the ministry is looking into and following up on the comments of the Korean president on relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the UAE, which are neighboring countries with established diplomatic relations.
The spokesman also said Yoon's remarks show he is totally unaware of the historical and friendly relations between Iran and the Persian Gulf littoral states, including the UAE, as well as positive developments quickly taking place in this regard.
Describing Yoon's remarks as "unwarranted diplomatically," Kanaani added that Iran is awaiting an explanation from the Korean foreign ministry about the issue.
Earlier, the presidential office explained that his remarks were part of a pep talk, stressing the grave security situation facing the UAE.
In response to Iran's accusation, Seoul's foreign ministry said, Tuesday, the president's remarks were meant to encourage soldiers of the unit to do their best in fulfilling their duties in the UAE, adding that they have nothing to do with relations between countries, including those with Iran.
"Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1962, Korea has maintained a friendly and cooperative relationship with Iran for a long time, and the Korean government's determination to continuously develop relations with Iran remains unwaveringly firm," the ministry said in a statement.
Later in the day, a senior official of the foreign ministry said the government had explained the intention of his remarks to the Iranian side in both Tehran and Seoul.
"Through bilateral diplomatic channels, we explained to the Iranian side and I believe that the country also understands our explanations," the official said.
However, given that the foreign ministry was in talks over the issue with the Iranian side before the Kanaani statement, the Persian country still seems unhappy with the president's remarks, raising speculation that it may escalate into a diplomatic problem between the two countries.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) took a swipe at the president, calling the case a "diplomatic disaster" that harms national interests.
"The remarks could deepen a negative perception that Korea regards Iran as a military threat," its spokesman Kim Hyun-jung said in a statement, adding that his remarks may put the unit in danger by ratcheting up tensions with Iran.
"Relations with Iran strengthened during the construction boom in the Middle East in the 1970s, and it is a friendly country, with which Korea signed a comprehensive partnership in 2016. Diplomacy is about reducing enemies, but he is a pathetic president who increases enemies. The president should stop the diplomatic catastrophe that undermines national interests and endangers the people."
In the 1970s, some 200,000 Koreans earned foreign currency in Iran, working at numerous construction sites.
According to Iran International, a Persian-language news television channel, it was the first time that Korea called Iran "the enemy and the biggest threat" to the security of the UAE.
Seoul and Tehran have been at odds over $7 billion (8.6 trillion won) of the latter's frozen funds ― proceeds from Iranian oil sales ― due to U.S. sanctions re-imposed in 2018 following former U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear pact, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Other than the issue of the frozen funds, bilateral relations are regarded as normal and far from tense.
