Korean Ambassador Ordered to Return Home

Lee Chang-ho, Korean ambassador to Israel, has been directed to return home after it was discovered that he had neglected his duties, gambling and accumulating debts worth $63,000.

On May 2, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) said, "We were tipped about Ambassador Lee's gambling practices, and dispatched an inspector to Israel last month. After the allegations were substantiated, We ordered him to return to Korea by May 9. He submitted a letter of resignation."

According to MOFAT, Ambassador Lee had visited a casino at Jerico in Palestine, which is located about 100 kilometers from Tel Aviv, the capital, more than 10 times since early March. He had borrowed $8,400 from the head of the Korean Association, $9,750 from a loan shark, $20,000 from a bank, and had spent $25,500 on his credit cards.

MOFAT said, "We summoned Ambassador Lee on April 16, received confirmation of his irregular practices, and made him pay his debts before we sent him back to Israel. We plan to accept his resignation."

Mr. Lee was caught gambling in 1986 while serving as a councilor in the Korean Mission to the United Nations. At that time he was warned and demoted. His diplomatic career began in 1970 after he passed the third diplomatic examinations. He was the director of the MOFAT Treaties Division, the consular general in Chicago, and Korean ambassador in Washington before being sent to Israel in May of 1998.

by Lee Chul-hee