South Korea-China ties under further strain over envoy’s alleged power abuse, as Yoon fights nepotism claims

South Korea’s ambassador to China, Chung Jae-ho, finds himself under intense scrutiny amid allegations of staff abuse, a development further straining the already tense relations between the two nations, analysts have said.

The controversy not only tarnishes President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pledge to combat nepotism but also casts a shadow over his personal connections, given Chung’s close friendship and confidant status with the president.

Reports suggest that Chung stands accused of both bullying and mistreating embassy staff, prompting one attaché to file formal complaints with Seoul’s foreign ministry, accompanied by audio recordings capturing the ambassador’s alleged abusive conduct.

“When a case of misconduct is detected, it is thoroughly investigated and handled accordingly,” foreign ministry spokesman Lim Soo-suk told journalists last week.

“We will also investigate this case thoroughly under this principle”, he said.

Chung denied the allegations as “unilateral and groundless”.

In a statement released last week, he said he would “restrain myself from further comments” pending the completion of the investigation.

Chung, 64, is a former international relations professor at Seoul National University. He was appointed in June 2022 as the first envoy to China under Yoon’s administration.

Chung is widely recognised as Yoon’s trusted confidant, with a bond that stretches back decades to when they were high-school classmates in Seoul.

Chung studied at the University of Michigan and led the Seoul National University’s China research institute before serving as a key adviser for Yoon on his diplomatic policy.

The ministry’s guidelines for combating gapjil (bullying) define it as insulting behaviour such as swearing, verbal abuse, assault,