"There Is Regret About Leaving the Country Before the General Election"
The controversy surrounding the departure of Ambassador Lee Jong-seop to Australia is causing discomfort within the ruling party as it shows signs of expanding into a call for judgment against the Yoon Seok-yeol administration ahead of the April 10 general election.
On the 14th, Lee Sang-min, a member of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the People Power Party, appeared on MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ and said, "I don’t understand why, at this particular time, the ambassador to Australia had to be that person, especially when there is no urgent reason, and with the opposition party expected to politically exploit this ahead of the general election, it would have been better to avoid providing any pretext."
He added, "No matter how much the opposition attacks, if there is something to hide, wouldn’t it be better to face it head-on? It seems reckless, as if there was no political consideration at all and it was done blindly."
On the same day, Cho Jung-hoon, also from the People Power Party, said in an interview with KBS Radio’s ‘Jeon Jong-cheol’s Breaking Current Affairs’, "If an investigation is necessary, more details need to be looked into," while adding, "I respect the ambassador’s departure and the president’s appointment authority, but I regret whether it was right to leave before the general election." Cho said, "I think they must have known that this could be politically interpreted, but this action has become not just a simple diplomatic appointment but a political issue," and "It is unfortunate for candidates in the metropolitan area who need to win every single seat by pulling out all the stops now."
Meanwhile, Ambassador Lee Jong-seop to Australia, who is suspected of exerting external pressure related to the investigation of the death of Marine Corps member Chae Sang-byeong, officially began his duties on the afternoon of the 12th by submitting a copy of his credentials to the Australian government. Appointed as ambassador to Australia on the 4th, it was later revealed amid controversy that he had been subject to a travel ban requested by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) investigating allegations that he exerted pressure during the investigation of the Chae Sang-byeong case that occurred while he was Minister of National Defense. After appearing once for questioning by the CIO, the travel ban was lifted by the Ministry of Justice on the 8th, and he departed for Australia on the afternoon of the 10th.
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