Jongseop Lee Pledges to "Fully Contribute to Enhancing Regional Peace and Cooperation" on Australian Embassy Website

Posting a Greeting Message on the Homepage

Lee Jong-seop, the Ambassador to Australia, who was under investigation by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (PCC) over allegations of external pressure in the investigation of the death of Marine Chae Sang-byeong, was appointed and departed the country, officially announcing his appointment on the embassy's website.

In a greeting on the embassy's website on the 12th, Ambassador Lee stated, "Our embassy will do its utmost to promote peace and stability in the region, including North Korea's denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and to continue the momentum of defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries."

Regarding the relationship between Korea and Australia, he described Australia as "a blood ally that dispatched over 17,000 troops during the Korean War and a key ally in the Indo-Pacific region sharing core values such as freedom, democracy, and the rule of law," adding, "Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961, the two countries have developed friendly cooperative relations in various fields including diplomacy, defense, defense industry, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, and have closely cooperated for peace, stability, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop is responding to lawmakers' questions during the government inquiry session at the National Assembly plenary meeting held on the 6th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Ambassador Lee explained his plans, saying, "Our embassy will strengthen cooperation with Australia to enhance economic security, including supply chain stability and resources and energy such as critical minerals, and actively support Korean companies operating in Australia to continue stable economic activities." He added, "We will serve as a bridge for the development of Korea-Australia relations, continuously striving to enhance the rights and interests of the Korean community of over 160,000 people across Australia and to provide prompt and efficient consular services to Koreans visiting Australia."

It was revealed that Ambassador Lee, appointed on the 4th, was subject to a travel ban at the request of the PCC, and the next day, he filed an objection with the Ministry of Justice to lift the travel ban. Subsequently, on the 8th, the Ministry of Justice held a travel ban review committee meeting and lifted the travel ban. Two days after the travel ban was lifted, on the 10th, Ambassador Lee departed for Brisbane, Australia, without receiving the original letter of credence from President Yoon Suk-yeol. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to send the original document to Australia soon via diplomatic pouch.

Meanwhile, at 9:40 a.m. on the same day, Park Ju-min, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and other party members submitted a special investigation law on Lee Jong-seop to the National Assembly Secretariat. The law calls for an investigation into Ambassador Lee, the Presidential Office accused of obstructing the investigation, and related ministries including the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Presidential Office stated that it was not aware in advance of the travel ban imposed on the investigation subjects. A Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and said, "The PCC is currently conducting the investigation. I understand the investigation started in September last year, but there was no mention of summons until March this year," adding, "Repeatedly demanding special investigations just because the desired answers are not obtained is wasteful in many ways."