Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Resume 'Mediation Process' in New Zealand Sexual Misconduct Case... Accepts Victims' Demands

Government Notifies Victims...Mentioned During Brief Normalization Call, Escalates into Diplomatic Issue

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to resume private mediation regarding the sexual misconduct incident that occurred at the Korean Embassy in New Zealand at the end of 2017. This incident escalated into a diplomatic issue after being mentioned during a phone call between the leaders of Korea and New Zealand.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 22nd, the government has decided to resume private mediation between diplomat A and the victim, a New Zealand national employee, and has notified the victim’s side, awaiting their response.

Private mediation is a system under New Zealand local law that allows employees to claim consolation money, etc., from their employers. At that time, the Korean Embassy in New Zealand, which employed the victim, was the employer, and the employee was the New Zealand staff member involved.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempted private mediation but failed to reach an agreement. However, in August, the victim’s side requested mediation again, prompting the Ministry to conduct an internal review. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was criticized by the National Human Rights Commission for some shortcomings in handling the sexual misconduct case and was also reprimanded by the Blue House for issues in its response.

The New Zealand government has demanded a direct investigation, alleging that diplomat A sexually harassed a local male employee while working at the Korean Embassy in New Zealand in December 2017. Diplomat A left New Zealand in February 2018 after his term expired, and a problem was revealed in an internal audit in 2019, resulting in a one-month salary reduction in February 2019.

The New Zealand national victim reported the incident to the New Zealand police in October 2019, and the New Zealand police requested investigative cooperation from the Korean government. In response, the government conveyed its position to cooperate with the investigation to the fullest extent possible without waiving the diplomatic immunity of the embassy staff in New Zealand. However, the New Zealand side has expressed dissatisfaction with the matter through local media and during the leaders’ phone call.

Meanwhile, diplomat A is currently serving in the Philippines but has been ordered to return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is currently without a post. It is known that the New Zealand side has not yet requested extradition from Korea.