Japan To Recall Deputy Envoy In Seoul Over Lewd Remark About S. Korea's Moon - Reports

Japan is considering removing its deputy head of the mission to South Korea, Hiroshi Soma, after he drew inappropriate comparisons while describing President Moon Jae-in's approach to strained relations with Tokyo, the Kyodo news agency reported on Monday, citing a government source

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2021) Japan is considering removing its deputy head of the mission to South Korea, Hiroshi Soma, after he drew inappropriate comparisons while describing President Moon Jae-in's approach to strained relations with Tokyo, the Kyodo news agency reported on Monday, citing a government source.

Soma was reported to have likened Moon's diplomatic effort to mend ties with Japan to "masturbating," adding that Tokyo does not have the time to care so much about the relationship between as South Korea thinks.

The remark was "extremely inappropriate for a diplomat and extremely regrettable," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was quoted as saying.

In the wake of the scandal, Moon decided against visiting Japan, sending the minister of culture, sports, and tourism to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in his stead.

Ties between Seoul and Tokyo remain strained over issues stemming from Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945, including compensation for former wartime laborers and sexual enslavement by Japan.