By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter

The Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry plans to express its displeasure to Korean Ambassador to the United States Han Seung-joo for his failure to attend an event hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, apparently giving preference to another meeting involving personal relations.

Han did not go to the meeting held at Rumsfeld’s residence in Washington, Sept.10, local time, where high-ranking U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, were also present, instead attending a party celebrating the publication of a book by his wife, a professor at the Academy of Korean Studies.

The dinner hosted by Rumsfeld was not for expressing gratitude to the countries that had sent troops to Iraq as initially reported by local media, but was to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting a U.S. Defense Ministry spokesman. It is likely that the meeting was meant to be both, as the guests were ambassadors from 25 countries such as Australia and Mongolia that had dispatched troops to Iraq.

``I was busy communicating with the U.S. State Department and our government’s officials until 7:30 p.m. at our embassy, because there was a report on the explosion in Ryanggang, North Korea, that day. And I didn’t go to the dinner meeting because it would have been impolite to join there late, as the event started at 6:30 p.m.,’’ Ambassador Han was quoted as saying.

``Instead I went to my wife’s ceremony. But I am sorry I did not know what kind of meeting I missed. It was my fault.’’

Despite Han’s explanation, controversy is expected to continue as it was discovered that a Korean businessman in the U.S. funded the function for Han’s wife.

Some 80 Koreans, including embassy officials, attended the ceremony, the cost of which was estimated at some $13,000, according to reports. As rumors spread, Han said he would reimburse the businessman, local Internet media organization Pressian reported.

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Kyu-hyung told reporters yesterday that although Han apparently did not pay much attention to the dinner invitation and failed to find out what kind of meeting it was for, it was acceptable for an ambassador not to attend dinners organized by minister-level officials of a nation.

Lee also cleared the ambassador of the cost-scandal, saying: ``Han decided to pay the cost as soon as he saw there was around 80 participants at his wife’s ceremony.’’

Regarding further measures to be taken by the ministry, Lee said that its official stance was yet to be decided through consultation with Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon.

``In my personal opinion, the case needs no such further measures. Ambassador Han has admitted his carelessness, and our ministry will endeavor not to let this kind of incident happen again,’’ Lee said.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr