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New Zealand Ambassador to South Korea Philip Turner enters the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of August 3. Yonhap News

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had remained silent despite strong pressure from the New Zealand government concerning a South Korean diplomat accused of sexually assaulting a local employee when he served at the South Korean embassy in New Zealand, but on August 3, the ministry called in the New Zealand ambassador to South Korea and proposed to resolve the issue through a judicial process. The ministry also ordered A, the diplomat in question, currently serving in a third country, to return.

The controversy surrounding this case had snowballed making it difficult for the foreign ministry to remain silent any longer, and there was also a need to appropriately respond to the New Zealand government뭩 unreasonable diplomatic and legal demands, which seem to have encouraged the ministry to take a proactive attitude in resolving the issue.

On August 3, a senior official at the foreign ministry met with reporters and said, 밫he proper way to resolve the issue raised by New Zealand is through formal judicial proceedings,

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