Original title: Iran summoned South Korean ambassador to protest Yin Xiyue’s “interfering speech”
Reference news network reported on January 19 Iran’s foreign ministry summoned South Korea’s ambassador to Tehran to protest South Korean President Yoon Seok-wook’s remarks that Iran is an enemy of the United Arab Emirates, Iranian state media reported on Jan. 19.
Yoon told South Korean troops in Abu Dhabi earlier this week that the situation in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates was “very similar” and that both faced “enemies and the biggest threats” such as North Korea and Iran, the report said.
His comments sparked a rare row between Seoul and Tehran. Relations between the two countries are already strained by South Korea’s freeze of Iranian funds in South Korea and a possible arms deal between Iran and North Korea.
Reuters quoted the official Islamic Republic of Iran News Agency as saying that Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Reza Najafi summoned the South Korean ambassador on the 18th to protest Yoon’s “interventionist remarks.”
According to the report, Najafi “pointed out that the Islamic Republic of Iran maintains profound friendly relations with most Persian Gulf countries” and called Yin Xiyue’s remarks “interfering in internal affairs” and “undermining regional peace and stability.”
According to the report, Yin Xiyue’s office stated that his remarks were only to encourage soldiers. South Korea’s foreign ministry said on the 17th that it had explained to Tehran and said that its commitment to developing bilateral relations remained unchanged.
South Korean opposition lawmakers slammed the incident as a “diplomatic disaster,” and some members of Yoon’s party said he should be more cautious.
Najafi also accused South Korea of adopting an “unfriendly attitude” towards Iran, citing in particular its frozen funds.
According to reports, Najafi said: “If South Korea fails to take effective actions to resolve the above-mentioned issues, Iran will re-examine its relations with it.”
The report pointed out that Iran has repeatedly requested the release of about US$7 billion in funds frozen in South Korean banks due to US sanctions. (compiled/painted)