The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in central Seoul / Korea Times file

A former foreign ministry official was given a suspended jail term, Friday, for sexually harassing a foreign employee of the same sex seven years ago while working at the Korean Embassy in New Zealand.

The Incheon District Court sentenced the 58-year-old man, surnamed Kim, to two years in prison, with the sentence suspended for three years.

The court also ordered him to complete 40 hours of lectures on sexual violence prevention and 160 hours of community service. Additionally, he is restricted from working in any institution related to children, adolescents or individuals with disabilities for the next five years.

"The defendant sexually abused the worker three times while he was required to uphold appropriate conduct in his role as a diplomat," the ruling said.

"The victim experienced mental suffering and pleaded for severe punishment," the ruling said. "Although the defendant is a first-time offender, we took into account the significant negative impact this case had on the national interest of the Republic of Korea."

The former diplomat was indicted without detention on charges of groping a local male employee by touching various body parts, including the hips, on three occasions at the Korean Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, between November and December 2017.

The court, however, did not find Kim guilty of touching the victim's genitals, and did not recognize the causal relationship between the harassment and the victim's post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"The victim began to demand a large monetary compensation when he claimed that the defendant touched his genitals," the ruling said, questioning the credibility of the victim's claim. "Also some of the medical records about PTSD seem to be based on only the victim's testimony."

Kim left New Zealand in February 2018. The victim requested an investigation by the New Zealand police in July 2019, but the inquiry did not proceed effectively.

The following year, when New Zealand media reported the issuance of an arrest warrant, the case gained attention in Korea. The issue was also raised during a phone call between then-President Moon Jae-in and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, leading to a diplomatic controversy.

After arriving in Korea at the end of 2022, the victim filed a lawsuit against Kim with Korean law enforcement authorities.

After leaving New Zealand, Kim was stationed in the Philippines as a consul general until August 2020. He retired from the ministry earlier this year.