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| This undated photo shows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Korea Times file |
Police have referred a foreign ministry official to the prosecution for possible indictment on charges that he sexually abused a local embassy staffer when stationed in New Zealand in 2017, officials said Tuesday.
The diplomat, whose identity has been withheld, was accused of groping the male administrative staffer at the Korean Embassy in Wellington multiple times, and the case drew attention in 2020 after then New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern raised the issue during phone talks with then President Moon Jae-in.
Korean police began an investigation after the victim filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in December last year, and decided Monday to refer the diplomat to the Seoul Central Prosecutors Office, police and prosecution officials said.
The victim also confirmed the case was referred to the prosecution.
"The suspect's criminal charge of indecent act by compulsion was recognized and we decided to refer the case," police said in a written notice to the victim that was seen by Yonhap News Agency.
The diplomat had left New Zealand for a new post in the Philippines in 2018 before New Zealand police launched an investigation. After learning of the case, the foreign ministry punished him with the disciplinary measure of a one-month salary reduction in 2019.
The victim later filed a complaint with New Zealand police against the diplomat and a court warrant was issued for his arrest, but New Zealand police later decided not to request his extradition, saying the case did not meet the criteria for extradition.
The diplomat is currently working at the foreign ministry headquarters.
"As a direct result of what happened in my workplace, I am continuing to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder," the victim told Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday. "Despite the trauma, I am ready to appear as a witness and give evidence in Korean courts and I hope the court process can be completed quickly." (Yonhap)
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