Yoon requested ‘dog protocol’ during France visit

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee were found to have requested special “dog protocol” arrangements for their pets from the Korean Embassy during their visit to France in 2023.

Rep. Lee Jae-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea said during a parliamentary audit on Monday that the couple “planned to bring their dogs on two visits to France in 2023 and asked the embassy to prepare protocol arrangements for them.”

According to Lee, the requests included “a space in the hotel suite for the dogs, a dedicated vehicle for their transport, and an embassy staff member to attend to them.”

“During a state visit, security and protocol for the head of state should come first. It’s deplorable that public officials were mobilized for pet protocol instead,” she added.

Lee criticized Kim, saying, “At that time, she was promoting herself as an advocate for animal rights. Was the Foreign Ministry her personal travel agency? The idea of arranging kennels and assigning staff for ‘First Dogs’ is humiliating.”

In response, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said the ministry had confirmed that the request “was made directly from the presidential office to the Korean Embassy in France, bypassing the ministry’s protocol office.” Cho added, “We will ensure such incidents do not recur and will thoroughly review the matter to protect the dignity of our diplomats.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.