First Overseas Visit of the New Year Marred... Presidential Office Says "Misunderstanding with Iran Can Be Resolved"

Controversy Over 'Enemy of UAE' Spreads Further
"No Intention to Make It Difficult"
Regarding Special Envoy Possibility: "An Overreaction"

[Zurich=Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] On the 19th (local time), the Presidential Office stated regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's remark that "the enemy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Iran" that "there seems to have been a misunderstanding on the Iranian side." The official position is that "the misunderstanding can be resolved, and there is no intention to exacerbate the misunderstanding to make things difficult," but the chill in relations between the two countries remains.

A senior official from the Presidential Office explained to reporters at the press center set up in Zurich, Switzerland, that the remark was "intended to urge the soldiers of the Aegis Battalion to diligently carry out their duties while facing the severe security realities that the UAE is confronting." The official repeated the previous stance that "it is unrelated to the relationship between Korea and Iran." Earlier, Iran summoned Yoon Kang-hyun, the Korean ambassador to Iran, and in response, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs also summoned Seyed Badamchi Shabestari, the Iranian ambassador to Korea.

On the 15th (local time), President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who were on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), visited the Ark Unit deployed locally and are seen looking at commemorative gifts together.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The official also expressed the view that "(Iran) raising issues such as frozen funds and President Yoon's remarks related to nuclear armament is causing the focus to become blurred." In fact, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs increased its level of criticism by mentioning the situation where our country has frozen $7 billion (approximately 8.61 trillion KRW) in funds and even referring to violations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Reza Najafi, Deputy Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs, mentioned during a meeting with Ambassador Yoon that Korea is engaging in unfriendly actions such as blocking Iran's financial assets, and warned that if Korea does not take effective measures to resolve the issue, Iran may reconsider its relationship with Korea.

However, the Presidential Office assessed that "the focus is blurred because of the misunderstanding." They added, "Paradoxically, since the misunderstanding has been confirmed, we understand that our side also summoned the Iranian ambassador to Korea to provide a clear explanation," and "If the misunderstanding is resolved, normalization may be achieved quickly."

When asked by reporters whether they are considering sending a special envoy to Iran or other high-level talks, the official bluntly responded, "I think that would be an overreaction."