Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Presidential office calls Iran's ire over 'enemy' remark 'misunderstanding'
The Iranian Embassy in Yongsan District, Seoul /
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
ZURICH ― South Korea's presidential office on Thursday (local time) said Iran's resentful response to President Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks describing Tehran as the biggest threat to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stems from “a misunderstanding” that can be resolved.
“President Yoon made those remarks to encourage the soldiers of the Korean Akh Unit, and they have nothing to do with the relations between South Korea and Iran. And it seems like Iran has some kind of misunderstanding,” a senior official at the presidential office said during a press briefing in Zurich.
Yoon was staying in Switzerland for a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, after having a state visit to the UAE. During his visit to the Akh Unit in Abu Dhabi, Sunday (local time) to encourage the soldiers, Yoon said Korea and the UAE are in a similar position, with each facing North Korea and Iran as the enemy and biggest threat. The Akh Unit trains the UAE's special operations forces.
“As we look into the various responses that came from the Iranian ambassador to Korea, we have sensed that the issue is losing focus, as Iran took issue with the frozen Iranian assets in South Korean banks and President Yoon's previous remarks on the possibility of producing nuclear arms,” the official said. “This proves that Iran is misunderstanding the issue, thus we also the summoned Iranian ambassador to Korea and explained.”
On Thursday, Seoul's First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong called in the Iranian Ambassador to Seoul, Saeed Badamchi Shabestari, and explained South Korea's aforementioned position, in a response to Iran's summons of South Korean Ambassador to Iran, Yun Kang-hyeon, a day earlier.
During the meeting with the Iranian ambassador, its deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs Reza Najafi described President Yoon's comments about the possibility of producing nuclear arms as contradicting the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and demanded an explanation.
The frozen fund issue refers to $7 billion that is being held in accounts at Woori Bank and the Industrial Bank of Korea 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). Iran has been threatening South Korea with legal action at the International Court of Justice.
“We believe the misunderstanding can be resolved, and both sides do not want to amplify this misunderstanding further and jeopardize further talks,” the senior official said, adding “it would be an overreaction” to have senior-level talks with Iran over the issue.