Ambassador to Australia meets key ministers amid controversy over his return home

Ambassador to Australia Lee Jong-sup has met individually with the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and industry since his return home from Canberra the previous day, the foreign ministry said, apparently dismissing growing speculation over his abrupt return and unclear public schedule while he is in town. Lee returned Thursday, 11 days after he assumed the job, as criticism is growing over Lee's appointment and departure after revelations that he was banned from leaving the country as he was subject to an investigation for his alleged interference in a military probe into last year's death of a Marine. Since the foreign ministry announced Lee will come back to attend a defense cooperation meeting of ambassadors of six countries, including Australia, speculation arose that the meeting could have been organized in haste to give Lee a pretext to return home, because the public sentiment is worsening in the run-up to the parliamentary elections set for April 10. Lee's arrival, which came four days ahead of the planned ambassadors' meeting, also raised questions about what Lee will be doing until Monday and whether those four days can be legally acknowledged as serving public duty under the regulations pertaining to public servants on overseas missions. On Friday, the foreign ministry said Lee was having schedules related to the upcoming ambassadors' meeting. The ambassador "met separately with the minister of defense on March 21, the ministers of industry and foreign affairs on March 22," the foreign ministry said in a message to reporters. Lee plans to have meetings throughout next week with officials of government agencies involved in the defense cooperation and the top envoys of the six countries in Seoul, among other schedules, the ministry said. A foreign ministry official said the meetings Lee has had since Thursday and onwards are meant to discuss Monday's meeting in advance, suggesting that Lee's stay will be recognized as a return trip for official duties. Source: Yonhap News Agency