The South Korean Embassy in Vietnam quoted Ambassador Choi as saying he was profoundly sorry about the incident, which involved comments deemed offensive and unacceptable.

The local government concerned has also regarded the matter as serious, noting that it harmed the values of multiculturalism and human rights.

An official written apology has been issued, along with a commitment to implement thorough measures to prevent a recurrence.

In his statement, Ambassador Choi said South Korea and Vietnam share a comprehensive strategic partnership and are close friends.

He stressed that South Korea places great importance on its relationship with Vietnam.

The South Korean Embassy in Vietnam will continue to actively support people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, based on mutual respect and understanding.

South Korea’s Jeollanam Province has formally apologized for remarks made by the chairman of Jindo County, who suggested that the East Asian country should “import women from Sri Lanka and Vietnam”.

“We sincerely apologize to the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea, the Vietnamese government, as well as the Vietnamese people and Vietnamese women who were deeply hurt,” a provincial spokesperson said.

Jeollanam Province stated that the comments ran counter to the values of respect for human rights, gender equality and multicultural inclusion that the province upholds.

Vietnam holds special significance for the province, the statement noted, as many residents of Vietnamese origin have settled in Jeollanam and are living as respected members of the local community.

On February 9, the leadership council of South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party convened a closed meeting and decided to impose emergency disciplinary measures against Kim Hee Soo, the head of Jindo County in Jeollanam Province, for what it described as a “serious violation”.

In recent days, Kim has sparked anger and outrage among the South Korean public after suggesting the idea of “importing women from places like Vietnam or Sri Lanka” to marry rural bachelors.

Tran Thuong