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Lee Woong-gil, an American citizen who does not hold a Korean passport but was appointed the head of an overseas Korean mission, resigned from his post as consul-general designate of Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday. The Foreign Ministry said Lee expressed his will to resign, saying he does not want to add a burden to the president's work.
Lee is said to have gone to America in the mid-1970s where he ran a Japanese restaurant called August Moon and managed a grocery store. He also worked at a Korean organization as well as the Federation of Korean Associations in the northeastern U.S. and served as the Lee Myung-bak campaign's head of overseas affairs during the presidential election. The rumors are probably true that Lee got the consul general job in the area where he runs his business due to a recommendation to Cheong Wa Dae by an influential election camp official. The presidential office is said to have passed this on to the Foreign Ministry, and high-ranking ministry officials loyal to the president are said to have made this ridiculous appointment.
Korean law bars people without Korean citizenship from being appointed to the country's foreign service. The presidential office and the Foreign Ministry knew this. Yet on the day the appointment was announced, the Foreign Ministry explained this would not be a problem since Lee had applied to regain his Korean citizenship and the process would be completed when he is formally appointed. That's like saying that something illegal at the moment is okay because it will become legal later.
What's even more ridiculous is the fact that two hours before Lee resigned, Kwon Jong-rak, first vice foreign minister, sided with the evasion of the law, saying his appointment would link the Korean-American community with their home country. Kwon used to serve as diplomatic counselor at President Lee's campaign office, and since he was appointed first vice minister he has made comments during various meetings as if he were preaching the president's ideology. If he were correct, then Korea's consul-general to Tokyo should be a Korean with a Japanese passport, while the consul-general in Shanghai should be a Korean with Chinese nationality and the consul-general in Sao Paolo should be a Korean with Brazilian nationality.
Now the Foreign Ministry says the appointment was made after consulting with the presidential office, though Cheong Wa Dae is keeping its mouth shut. The presidential secretary in charge of official appointments is said to be avoiding phone calls.
The person responsible for this ridiculous appointment should be identified.
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