Seoul revokes Jill Kelley's honorary consul title
By Kim Young-jin
Seoul will strip the title “honorary consul” from an American socialite linked to a scandal surrounding former CIA chief David Petraeus, after she used it for personal gain, officials said Tuesday.
They said Kelley used the post to “peddle influence.” Earlier reports said Kelley, based in Tampa, Fla. presented herself to a U.S. businessman as able to facilitate a no-bid, billion-dollar coal-gasification project with Korea.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun told reporters in Washington, “It’s not suitable to the status of honorary consul that (she) sought to be involved in commercial projects and peddle influence.” He did not elaborate on the timing of the move.
Korea has 15 honorary consuls in the U.S. appointed by the foreign ministry to help promote relations between the sides. They are paid $2,500 a year. That Kelley was given the title has put Seoul in an awkward position as the messy scandal around Petraeus has unfolded.
She was recommended for the post in August by former Ambassador to the United States Han Duck-soo, now head of the Korea International Trade Organization, reportedly due to her role in organizing events to promote the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), which went into effect in March.
“The position is supposed to work for promoting and making a good relationship between two countries, to help U.S. people understand Korean culture and business better,” a Seoul official said on condition of anonymity. “(Promoting the) KORUS FTA could be a part of that.”
The official denied reports that Petraeus had recommended to Han that Kelley become an honorary consul.
“A few days ago I asked Han about that and he said no, he didn’t recommend Ms. Kelley because of an introduction by Gen. Petraeus.”
Kelley, 37, who has a wide network of military ties, complained to the FBI of receiving threatening email earlier this year.
That prompted an investigation in which the FBI discovered that the sender of the email, Paula Broadwell had an extramarital affair with Petraeus.
Adam Victor, a New York businessman, has said Kelley offered to facilitate a no-bid, $4 billion deal with Korea on a coal-gasification project.
The socialite claimed to Victor that Petraeus had put her in a position to make such a deal, ABC News reported. The businessman backed out of talks with Kelley when she asked for an $80 million fee to complete the deal.
Kelley flaunted being an honorary consul, at one point asking for police protection, citing her status. Honorary diplomats have no specific privileges or protection under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The official stressed the relatively low-key role of honorary consuls.
“It is more for good-will. We hope they can do something for us. We don’t expect too much,” the official said.
“We never predicted these reports (on the potential coal-gasification deal) before we had this kind of relationship with (Kelley).”