A criticism of US MPs by the President of South Korea has gone viral on social media – after a hot mic picked him up using a slur.
Yoon Suk Yeol appears to have made the remark after meeting US President Joe Biden at a Global Fund conference in New York on Wednesday.
In a video posted by South Korean broadcaster MBC on its official YouTube channel on Thursday, Yun is seen walking across the stage after chatting with Biden before turning to his aides and speaking.
“It would be so embarrassing for Biden if these National Assembly fans don’t approve of this [bill],” he then appears to say.
The Global Fund is an international organization trying to beat HIV, tuberculosis and malaria across the developing world, and Yoon’s remark appeared to be a reference to Biden’s pledge to contribute $6 billion, which would require his approval Congress.
The YouTube clip – which has not yet been taken down – has been viewed more than four million times since it was uploaded and has garnered tens of thousands of comments.
Many social media users have mocked Yoon, and the violence he used has become a popular search term on the South Korean website Naver.
This is just the latest in what critics say is a series of diplomatic mishaps by Yoon, who arrived in New York this week for the United Nations General Assembly after attending Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in London.
While in London, Yoon’s opponents accused him of disrespect for missing the chance to see the Queen’s coffin lying in state – which he blamed on heavy traffic.
Last month, he came under fire for failing to meet with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she visited South Korea as part of a tour of Asia.
After what appears to be his latest foreign policy blunder, Yoon’s team has gone on the defensive.
In a briefing with reporters, a spokesman for the South Korean presidential official said the remark was “a private comment” and that it was “inappropriate to link a private comment to a diplomatic outcome.”
The official also said it was “regrettable” that Yoon was being criticized while going along with “a tough program for the benefit of the national interest.”
Back in Seoul, South Korean Prime Minister Han Dak-soo addressed the issue at a meeting of the National Assembly on Thursday, saying it was “unclear” what Yun had actually said.
“I don’t think I can draw a clear conclusion here about the circumstances under which he said those words … but it seems that no one has clearly heard the content,” Khan said.
His remarks were not lost on members of the opposition Liberal Party who commented on the matter in the National Assembly on Thursday.
“Diplomatic disasters are recurring under Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration and this is due to the President’s repeated diplomatic ineptitude,” they said.
