After 'enemy' remark, Iran calls Yoon Suk Yeol 'meddlesome'

The Korean Foreign Ministry and presidential office played down Tehran's ire over remarks by President Yook Suk Yeol on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in which he called Iran an "enemy."

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks to the South Korean Army’s Akh unit in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

The Korean Foreign Ministry and presidential office played down Tehran's ire over remarks by President Yook Suk Yeol on a visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in which he called Iran an "enemy."

An Iranian official labeled Yoon "meddlesome" and clueless.

Speaking to the Korean military's Akh unit in the UAE on Sunday, Yoon told the troops, "The UAE's enemy and biggest threat is Iran, while ours is North Korea."

He called the UAE a "brother nation," with shared security interests in his speech to the 147-strong unit.

The remarks immediately drew the wrath of Iran's Foreign Ministry.

It's spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said Monday that Iran is "evaluating the latest meddlesome remarks" by the Korean president "about relations between the neighboring and friendly countries of Iran and the United Arab Emirates."

Kanaani was quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) as saying that Yoon's "undiplomatic" remarks show that he is "totally unaware of Iran's historical and friendly ties with the Persian Gulf littoral states, including the UAE, as well as the positive developments rapidly happening in this regard."

A senior Korean presidential official told reporters at a press briefing in the UAE late Monday that Yoon's remarks were part of his efforts to "encourage our soldiers" in the Akh unit.

"The remark was made with the intention of encouraging them to do their duties amid the severe security reality facing the UAE," said the official. "It has nothing to do with the current bilateral relationship between Korea and Iran."

The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement Tuesday also said Yoon's remarks were "irrelevant" to Korea's diplomatic ties with Iran and other countries.

The ministry warned against any "unnecessary overinterpreting" of the remark, saying it was made while encouraging Korean soldiers.

"Korea has long maintained friendly and cooperative ties with Iran since establishing diplomatic ties in 1962, and our government's commitment to continue developing such relations remains unwavering and firm," added the ministry.

Yoon has been on a four-day state visit to the UAE since Saturday, the first leg of a two-country tour that also takes him to Switzerland.

Korea deployed the Akh unit in January 2011 to help train UAE special forces during peace time and protect Korean residents there. It is a symbol of military cooperation between the two countries. The Akh unit's name comes from the Arabic word for "brother."

"We have sufficiently explained our position through diplomatic channels between Seoul and Tehran," a Korean Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday. "We believe that the Iranian side also understands our intentions and circumstances to some extent.

"The president wasn't remarking on relations with Iran," said the official. "We understand it as a statement with the intention of calling on our soldiers who are performing duties in the field to do their best."

But the official pointed out that the ministry is not in the place to explain the "true intentions" of the president.

This is not the first time Yoon has made a gaffe on an overseas trip. He was involved in an embarrassing hot mic moment at a fundraiser hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in New York in September 2022.

The presidential office blamed MBC, the first broadcaster to report on the incident, for erroneous subtitles, which it claimed undermined Korea's alliance with the United States.

Bilateral relations between Seoul and Tehran have frayed in recent years due to Iranian money frozen in two Korean banks because of U.S. sanctions reimposed after former President Donald Trump in 2018 withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center left, and first lady Kim Keon-hee, center right, pose for a commemorative photo with the South Korean Army’s Akh unit during a state visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]