Ambassador Jeong Jae-ho Reported for Abusive Behavior... Ministry of Foreign Affairs "Verifying Facts"

Jung Jae-ho, the South Korean ambassador to China, is under investigation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after being reported for abusive behavior towards staff.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 28th, a staff member working at the Seoul Embassy in Beijing reported Ambassador Jung to the ministry earlier this month for abusive conduct. It is known that Ambassador Jung made insulting remarks both in his office during conversations and in public meetings with multiple people. The staff member who reported the incident to the ministry submitted a recording of Ambassador Jung’s statements.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently verifying the facts based on the report. A ministry official stated, "We have received a report related to the Embassy in China and are confirming the facts," adding, "Our ministry takes strict action based on a fair investigation whenever misconduct such as abuse of power by staff occurs."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ guidelines to eradicate abuse of power, actions such as using superior status to engage in verbal abuse, insults, physical violence, derogatory remarks about appearance or body, and unnecessary physical contact are defined as 'abuse of power.' The ministry operates an 'Abuse of Power Victim Reporting and Support Center' within the Inspection Office, which investigates facts upon receiving consultations or reports and, if necessary, requests investigations. The dedicated staff who receive abuse reports must investigate and report the findings to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Ambassador Jung is a classmate of President Yoon Seok-yeol from Chungam High School in Seoul and shares the connection of graduating from Seoul National University. Before his appointment as ambassador to China in August 2022, he served as a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University for 25 years. He also attracted attention when he joined the Korea-US Policy Coordination Delegation while President Yoon was still president-elect.

Ambassador Jung has frequently clashed with the media in Beijing over communication issues. At the first meeting with the Beijing correspondent group in September 2022, shortly after his appointment, some media outlets reported on his attitude and problematic remarks unrelated to public diplomacy. Citing the breach of a promise for 'anonymous briefing reports,' he has refused to take questions from the press at monthly briefings for the past one and a half years. All responses are provided only to questions submitted in advance via email. Regarding demands for normalization, the ambassador’s office maintains the position that discussions cannot proceed without measures to prevent repeated breaches of embargoes.