IRAN: KOREA’S CORRECTIVE EFFORTS NOT ENOUGH

[Anchor Lead]

Regarding President Yoon's remark about Iran being the enemy of the United Arab Emirates, Iran's foreign ministry said that the South Korean government has shown its will to rectify the mistake, but the measures are not sufficient. They also continued to urge Seoul to resolve the issue of Iranian funds frozen in South Korean banks.

[Pkg]

"South Korea demonstrated its will but it was not enough." This is Iran's first response following a diplomatic scuffle where the two sides summoned each other's ambassador in a move of protest. In a regular press conference on Monday local time, the Iranian foreign ministry gave this response to a reporter's question. It said that the Korean government demonstrated its will to correct the mistake but from Teheran's perspective, measures taken by Seoul were not enough. Iran also brought up the issue of frozen assets. A ministry spokesperson said that regardless of other pending issues, the funds must be returned to Iran. Some seven billion dollars of Iranian oil funds are locked in Korea under U.S. sanctions restored in 2018. The amount is known to be the largest among any of Iran's frozen assets overseas, and is seen as the biggest hurdle to improving bilateral relations.

[Soundbite] Prof. Park Hyon-do(Sogang Euro-MENA Institute) : "The goings-on in Korea are all reported in Iran. They believe Korea’s explanation lacks sincerity."

Local media in Iran appears to still remain hawkish on the issue. Seoul's foreign ministry called in Iran's ambassador on January 19 and explained its position on relevant matters but it appears to be viewed as insufficient. The ministry maintains the stance that President Yoon Suk Yeol's remark about Iran being the enemy of the UAE was simply an attempt to encourage South Korean troops of the Akh Unit stationed in the UAE.