New Zealand is putting pressure on South Korea to follow international law and waive immunity to continue the police investigation into a sexual assault matter.
Hongkon Kim, former Deputy Ambassador to New Zealand, is accused of three counts of indecent assault at the Wellington embassy in 2017.
The charges relate to incidents involving a male staff member at the embassy.
A warrant for his arrest was issued, however Kim plead not guilty to the charges and remains overseas after leaving New Zealand in February 2018.
The Korean Government has so far refused to cooperate in getting Kim back to New Zealand to face trial, instead posting him to the Philippines where he is currently serving as Consul-General.
A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she has spoken to Korean president Moon Jae-in and expressed her disappointment that the Korean Government have not waived immunity.
The ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said New Zealand had made strong representation about this case and their request for the waivers of diplomatic immunity from the South Korean Government had been declined.
“NZ’s position is that we expect all diplomats to follow the laws of the country there are in, to be legally accountable for their actions and to allow NZ police to conduct their investigations,” the ministry spokesman said.
“We expect the same high standards of our government staff when posted there.”
