SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥 South Korea and Iran have summoned each other鈥檚 ambassadors in a diplomatic spat triggered by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol鈥檚 comments describing Iran as the 鈥渆nemy鈥 of the United Arab Emirates during a trip to that country this week.
While visiting South Korean special forces stationed in the UAE on Monday, Yoon described the hosts as South Korea鈥檚 鈥渂rother nation鈥 tied by growing economic and military cooperation, and then compared the threat he said UAE faces from Iran to the threat South Korea faces from nuclear-armed North Korea.
鈥淭he security of our brother nation is our security,鈥 Yoon said. 鈥淭he enemy of the UAE, its most-threatening nation, is Iran, and our enemy is North Korea.鈥
Yoon鈥檚 remarks triggered an irritated response from Iran鈥檚 Foreign Ministry, which said it was investigating Yoon鈥檚 鈥渋nterfering statements.鈥 South Korea鈥檚 government insists Yoon was trying to encourage the South Korean troops in the UAE and didn鈥檛 intend to comment on Iran鈥檚 foreign relations, urging against an 鈥渦nnecessary overinterpretation鈥 of his comments.
About 150 South Korean troops are stationed in the UAE, engaging in combined special forces training and other joint military activities. The deployment, which began in 2011, grew out South Korea鈥檚 deal with the UAE to build the country鈥檚 first nuclear power plant.
South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyun-dong on Thursday called Iranian Ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari to the ministry to explain Seoul鈥檚 stance 鈥渙nce again,鈥 ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said in a briefing.
Lim said the meeting came in response to the summoning of South Korea鈥檚 ambassador to Tehran by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday over Yoon鈥檚 comments.
Lim said Shabestari told Cho that he would 鈥渇aithfully鈥 convey Seoul鈥檚 explanation of Yoon鈥檚 comments to his bosses in Tehran, but didn鈥檛 provide further details about the conversation.
鈥淎s we explained several times, (Yoon鈥檚) reported comments were meant to encourage our troops serving their duties in the UAE, and had nothing to do with Iran鈥檚 foreign relations, including South Korea-Iran relations,鈥 Lim said. 鈥淥ur government鈥檚 will to develop relations with Iran remains unchanged.鈥
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on its website that its deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Reza Najafi, lodged a 鈥渟trong protest鈥 over Yoon鈥檚 鈥渕eddlesome comments鈥 after summoning South Korean Ambassador Yun Kang-hyeon.
Najafi said during the meeting that Yoon鈥檚 comments were 鈥渢antamount to interference鈥 in what he described as Iran鈥檚 friendly relations with most Gulf states and undermined 鈥減eace and security in the region,鈥 the ministry said.
Najafi also mentioned friction between Iran and South Korea over billions of dollars in Iranian funds remaining in Seoul, frozen by American sanctions over Iran鈥檚 collapsed nuclear deal with world powers.
Najafi said South Korea鈥檚 failure to resolve the dispute could prompt Tehran to reconsider bilateral ties, according to his ministry. Iran held a South Korean oil tanker for months in 2021 amid the dispute.
Najafi also took issue with separate comments by Yoon on North Korea and questioned whether South Korea is considering acquiring its own nuclear weapons in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a suggestion Lim dismissed as 鈥済roundless.鈥
In a meeting with defense officials in Seoul last week, Yoon entertained the possibility of South Korea pushing for a redeployment of American nuclear weapons or seeking a deterrent of its own if North Korea鈥檚 growing nuclear threat gets out of control.
But Yoon made clear those scenarios weren't part of his official policy and emphasized his 鈥渞ealistic鈥 goal of strengthening South Korea鈥檚 defense under its alliance with the United States, including joint military planning potentially involving U.S. assets, and boosting the South鈥檚 own capability to retaliate to deter North Korean attacks.
鈥淭he comments of our president were intended to (emphasize the importance) of strengthening the effectiveness of the (U.S.) extended deterrence to counter North Korea鈥檚 escalating nuclear and missile threats,鈥 Lim said, referring to the U.S. commitment to defend South Korea with the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear ones.
鈥淥ur country has been sincerely carrying out our nonproliferation obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and there has been no change to our willingness to carry out those obligations,鈥 Lim said.
Yoon鈥檚 comments during his UAE visit, which have been criticized by his political opponents at home as a 鈥渄iplomatically disastrous,鈥 came as the UAE attempts to hedge in its relationship with Iran, a major business partner. The UAE also is home to around 3,500 American troops at Al Dhafra Air Base, a naval outpost in Fujairah and other locations.
The UAE has spent billions of dollars purchasing South Korean surface-to-air missile systems in part of efforts to protect itself against aerial threats. Those threats include long-range drone attacks by Yemen鈥檚 Iran-backed Houthi rebels 鈥 weapons likely built by or with Tehran鈥檚 help.
