South Korea Yoon's remark on Iran irrelevant to Seoul-Tehran ties: MFA
The South Korean Foreign Ministry comments on the President's statements that Iran is the "most-threatening nation" to the UAE and poses a threat to Abu Dhabi.
-
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol received an honor guard welcome Sunday on a trip to the UAE (AP)
The South Korean foreign ministry commented on Tuesday on President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent remark about Iran during his visit to the United Arab Emirates, saying it was "irrelevant" to Seoul's ties with Tehran.
During a recent trip to the Persian Gulf Arab state, Yoon addressed the UAE-based Korean forces and drew a parallel between the alleged threat The Democratic People's Republic of Korea poses to his country and what he called the "threat" Iran poses to Abu Dhabi describing Tehran as the "most-threatening nation" to the UAE.
In response, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly denounced the South Korean president's remarks on Iran's ties with the UAE, saying they are "invalid," and the ministry expects an explanation from Seoul.
As for Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani, he said that Tehran is following up on Yoon Suk Yeol's "interventionist" remarks.
The Seoul foreign ministry sent a text message to reporters, in which it urged against "unnecessary overinterpretation" and explained that the remark was made while encouraging South Korean soldiers and was "irrelevant" to South Korea's diplomatic ties with Iran or other countries.
"Since forging diplomatic ties with Iran in 1962, our country has long maintained friendly and cooperative ties with Iran, and our commitment to continue developing friendly bilateral relations with Iran remains firm," the ministry said, Yonhap reported.
