 |
| Lee Sang-deok / Yonhap |
By Kim Jae-kyoung
SINGAPORE ― South Korean Ambassador to Singapore Lee Sang-deok has been dismissed from his post, allegedly for his leading role in the controversial 2015 reparations deal over Japan sexual slavery of Korean women.
His exit was confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Tuesday. But it refused to explain the concrete reason for his abrupt departure.
The ministry said that Lee was permanently returned to Seoul, Monday, with no further duties assigned to him.
"I don't know the details but all I know is that Lee gave up his job because of a purely personal matter," MOFA spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said refusing to reveal the details.
"I don't know what position Lee will take in Seoul," he added. "A new ambassador won't be appointed until the regular reshuffle in spring."
Lee, who was appointed as ambassador in April 2016 by former President Park Geun-hye, was scheduled to end his term in April, 2019.
Under current regulations, if Lee is not assigned any duty for the next six months, he will have to resign.
The Korea Times tried to talk to Lee a number of times but he did not respond to any calls.
The dismissal has raised speculation that Lee was ousted by President Moon Jae-in for his role as chief negotiator for the agreement reached in December 2015 under the Park administration.
"Given that his departure came after Moon labeled the bilateral sex slavery deal as defective following a review by the foreign ministry's taskforce, it is obvious that it was affected by his role in the deal," said a source close to the diplomatic circle on condition of anonymity.
"Also, not so long ago, Lee had been taking the initiative in preparing for the ASEAN Summit in cooperation with state organizations and private firms based in Singapore," he added. The ASEAN Summit will be held in Singapore this year.
In late December after the taskforce's announcement of its five-month review, Moon said in a statement, "It has been confirmed that the negotiation of the comfort women issue between Seoul and Tokyo had significant defects in terms of procedures and content."
As the director general for Northeast Asian affairs at the foreign ministry, Lee spearheaded the negotiation, which led the Japanese government to provide 1 billion yen to a Korean foundation dedicated to supporting the victims.
The foreign ministry denied the speculation.
"As far as I know, Lee's replacement was not related to his role in the comfort women accord," Noh said.
