Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dismisses Hong Hyun-ik, President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Over 'Moon's Stalling'

As a result of the audit, responsibility for negligence in management lies with the head of the institution
Appointed at the end of the Moon administration... Anti-statements on Yoon administration's diplomatic policy

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to dismiss Hong Hyun-ik, the President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, who was appointed at the end of the Moon Jae-in administration.

On the 10th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced through a press briefing that "on the 9th, the dismissal of Hong Hyun-ik, President of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, was proposed, and after going through the relevant procedures, the dismissal was decided on the same day."

Government Seoul Office Annex Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had revealed that it was conducting an audit on President Hong at the end of last month. A Ministry official stated, "This proposal and decision for dismissal were made after comprehensively reviewing the results of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy audit conducted in December last year and the hearing held on the 22nd of last month."

The Korea National Diplomatic Academy is a government-affiliated national research institute under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and its president is a high-ranking political official at the vice-minister level. The position of president is appointed by the President of the Republic upon recommendation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hong was appointed in August 2021, near the end of former President Moon Jae-in’s term.

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated an audit of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and uncovered violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and omissions in reporting external activities by professors affiliated with the Academy, including President Hong. Along with institutional disciplinary measures, the Ministry intended to hold President Hong accountable for negligence in management.

According to diplomatic circles, it is particularly known that President Hong was deemed inappropriate to perform his duties due to his repeated remarks opposing the foreign policy of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration during the autumn training for embassy chiefs last year. At that time, President Hong reportedly claimed that the efforts to build peace on the Korean Peninsula through a declaration to end the Korean War and the suspension of joint US-ROK military exercises, which were promoted during the Moon Jae-in administration, were "not wrong."

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