FM Chung calls for overseas mission chiefs to prioritize citizens' safety

Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong has ordered chiefs of South Korea's overseas diplomatic missions to prioritize the protection of citizens in South Africa and other countries struggling with political unrest and COVID-19 outbreaks, his office said Thursday.

Chung made the call during Wednesday's virtual meeting with the diplomats, during which they discussed a range of issues, including the deepening unrest in South Africa sparked by the recent incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma.

The agenda also included security situations in Haiti where political turmoil worsened after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated earlier this month and in Afghanistan where the ongoing withdrawal of US troops has stoked fears of a security vacuum.

"Especially, Minister Chung received a briefing on property damage on South Korean businesses due to the protests in South Africa, and he directed the embassy to place a top priority on protecting the lives of our citizens and their property, and prepare for a contingency," the foreign ministry said in a press release.

An LG Electronics Inc. located in Durban, South Africa, has recently been destroyed after rioters looted the facility and set fire to it. A South Korean wig manufacturer also suffered property damage.

During the session, Chung also called on the front-line diplomats to continue to play a role to address such foreign policy tasks as making progress in the efforts to foster lasting peace on the divided Korean Peninsula.

Chung last held such a virtual gathering with overseas diplomats in February.

Meanwhile, some 380 employees of South Korea's overseas diplomatic missions, including about 150 Korean personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a ministry official. (Yonhap)