Korean-Australians protest against appointment of Lee Jong-sup as ambassador to Australia

Sydney Candlelight Action members, including Monica Kim (far right), hold a rally to condemn the appointment of Lee Jong-seop as Australia\'s new ambassador to South Korea in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 9. Courtesy of Sydney Candlelight Action

Former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup, a key figure in the death of a young Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun, was appointed as ambassador to Australia and headed to the country on March 10, prompting a growing backlash among Korean-Australians.

"The appointment of Lee as ambassador has unleashed the anger that has been inherent in the Korean community in Australia," Monica Kim (63), head of the Sydney Candlelight Action, a group of Korean-Australians, said in a phone interview with the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 12th. "We are planning to hold a protest in front of the Australian Parliament and the Korean Embassy in Canberra on the 13th."

The Sydney Candlelight Action organized a protest against Lee’s appointment in front of a statue of a young Korean girl honoring comfort women during Japanese colonial rule at Ashfield Uniting Church in Sydney on the 9th and about 50 Koreans living in Australia gathered at the site.

“This is the first time we have organized a group action against the appointment of an ambassador to Australia," Kim said. "It used to take us about two weeks to prepare for a group action, but this time we were able to organize it in five days. There were many people I've never seen before. I think they were waiting for a protest (against the appointment of ambassador).”

Former Defense Minister Lee is a suspect who has been under investigation after being accused by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) of allegedly exerting pressure on the military investigation in the death of Marine Corporal Chae. The CIO has reportedly been banning Lee from leaving Korea since January. After President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed Lee as ambassador to Australia on March 4, the Justice Ministry decided to lift the travel ban on Lee.

Lee left the country and arrived in Australia on the 10th.

The Sydney Candlelight Action called on Lee to "undergo the investigation properly first." Kim, the head of the group said, "After being appointed, Lee fled to Australia as a suspect after receiving only a four-hour investigation by the CIO,” adding, "I don't understand how he can protect the rights, human rights, and safety of Korean residents abroad when he is not responsible for the death of Corporal Chae, a Korean citizen, and for the alleged scaling back of the investigation." Regarding the death of Corporal Chae, Kim also said, “I’m so sad about his death. I think it can happen to my nephew and other family members in Korea.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.