Senior diplomat to Cambodia relieved from position for sexual misconduct allegations

A South Korean diplomat stationed in Cambodia has been relieved from the post following allegations of sexual harassment against a female embassy employee, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday,

The diplomat, whose name and position have been withheld, was ordered to return to Korea and is currently undergoing an internal investigation by the ministry regarding the allegations.

On Tuesday, several local news outlets quoting the ministry official reported that, according to a ministry probe, a diplomat dispatched to the South Korean Embassy in Cambodia was released from his position in July for making inappropriate physical contact with a female employee and making unpleasant remarks in March and May.

The diplomat is reported to have stated that he does not recall the incidents. A disciplinary hearing for the diplomat is scheduled in the near future.

The Foreign Ministry is in hot water as this case marks the latest in a series of irregularities and misbehavior involving high-level workers. In July, a consul general in Japan was relieved from his position and investigated by police regarding accusations of sexual misconduct in the workplace. A year before that, a senior diplomat stationed at the embassy in Pakistan was suspended from his position for three months for sexually molesting a lower-ranking worker.

The ministry has maintained a no-tolerance policy on sexual misconduct since 2017, after former Ambassador to Ethiopia Kim Moon-hwan was expelled and imprisoned for sexual abuse charges against three of his female staff members.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)