Foreign Ministry of Iran summons Korean ambassador

Foreign Ministry of Iran. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF IRAN]

 
The Foreign Ministry of Iran summoned the Korean ambassador in Tehran to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol’s comment about Iran and United Arab Emirates (UAE) relations.  
 
Iranian deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Reza Najafi, summoned Korean Ambassador to Iran Yun Kang-hyeon “in the wake of meddlesome comments,” said the foreign ministry in its statement Wednesday.  
 

Korean Ambassador to Iran Yun Kang-hyeon speaks at an event to commemorate 60 years of relations betwen Korea and Iran at his diplomatic residence in Tehran on Oct. 20, 2022. [YONHAP]

Stressing that Iran has friendly ties with “most Persian Gulf states,” Najafi called Yoon’s comments “tantamount to interference in the friendly relations and undermine peace and security in the region” in the meeting.
  
 
Speaking to the Korean military's Akh unit in the UAE on Sunday, Yoon told the troops, "The UAE's enemy and biggest threat is Iran, while ours is North Korea."  
 
Yoon was in the UAE last week on a state visit. Korea deployed the Akh unit in January 2011 to help train UAE special forces during peace time and protect Korean residents there. It is a symbol of military cooperation between the two countries. The Akh unit's name comes from the Arabic word for "brother."
 
Iranian Foreign Ministry protested the remarks immediately.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, shakes hands with a soldier of the Korean military's Akh unit in the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 15. [NEWS1]

 
The Foreign Ministry in Seoul, and the presidential office, tried to play down Tehran’s ire over Yoon’s remarks.  
 
“The reported remarks were words of encouragement for our soldiers who are on duty in the UAE, encouraging them to do their best,” said Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson of the ministry during a press briefing in Seoul on Tuesday. “The president was not speaking about [Korea’s] relations with Iran. Our government's commitment to developing relations with Iran remains unchanged.”
 

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]