Korea’s Iran embassy hasn’t had a Persian-speaking diplomat since 2021, Foreign Ministry data reveals
Fifty of Korea’s 140 diplomatic missions in non-English-speaking countries had no diplomats who could speak the local language as of Aug. 28, including nations in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.
A banner with a picture of the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is displayed on a street amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran in Tehran, Iran, on March 23.REUTERS/YONHAP
Not a single diplomat at the Korean embassy in Iran speaks Persian, despite escalating tensions in the Middle East amid the Iran war, data showed Monday.
Fifty of Korea’s 140 diplomatic missions in non-English-speaking countries had no diplomats who could speak the local language as of Aug. 28, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs data analyzed by Rep. Lee Ki-heon of the ruling Democratic Party.
The 50 missions included 26 in Asia, 13 in Europe, nine in Africa and two in South America.
The shortage is particularly stark in the Middle East. Korean diplomatic missions in Iran, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had no diplomats who could speak the local language, despite the region’s importance to Korea’s energy security and national security.
The Middle East has been at the center of global affairs since the Iran war erupted in February. The conflict has made the ability to gather information in local languages and protect Korean nationals in the region increasingly important.
Notably, the Korean embassy in Iran has not had a Persian-speaking diplomat since 2021. Its current diplomatic staff speak English, Japanese, French, Spanish and German, according to the data.
“Communication with Iran’s foreign ministry is conducted in English, so there are no problems communicating through diplomatic channels,” Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.
The problem extends well beyond the Middle East.
Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Ki-heon speaks during a National Assembly committee meeting in western Seoul on March 27.NEWS1
Korean diplomatic missions in Cambodia and the Philippines also had no diplomats who spoke the local language, despite repeated cases of Korean nationals falling victim to crimes including kidnapping and unlawful confinement.
The Korean Embassy in Nepal similarly had no diplomat who spoke the local language when nine Koreans went missing after massive floods and landslides last month.
Korean missions in European countries such as Greece, Norway, Denmark and the Czech Republic also had no diplomats who spoke the respective local languages.
“The more diplomatically sensitive the situation, the more important it is to quickly understand information in the local language and communicate closely with people on the ground,” Rep. Lee said. “The government should make it a priority to station Persian-speaking personnel at the Korean Embassy in Iran.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
