Row over US ambassador

It is not strange for Seoul to request replacement

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris is in the hot seat over his controversial remarks last week about the South's push to resume tourism projects with North Korea.

This is only the latest in a series of rows between Harris, who used to lead the U.S. Navy's Pacific Command and is apparently a hardliner toward North Korea, and the liberal government of South Korea. This time the problem looks more serious to the point of raising questions about the solidity of the alliance with the U.S.

If Seoul has already asked Washington to replace the ambassador, what is happening now is rather understandable. But if not, the way Harris is doing his job is definitely not what South Koreans expect from the U.S. ambassador. Frankly, he seems to have lost trust among officials and politicians here.

What is being said about his moustache is also not pleasant for South Koreans. There have been misleading media reports portraying South Koreans as disliking his facial hair because it reminds them of memories of mustached Japanese rulers during the 1910-45 colonial period. But the point is not his moustache. South Koreans would not have cared that much about his moustache if he was a "normal" ambassador. The stories of South Koreans' "bias" toward him are centered on his moustache along with his Japanese mother. This is a nasty narrative for South Koreans ― and probably Harris himself.

Harris is here to promote America's interests in Korea and in the region. He has been doing this job since being appointed in June 2018. But his behavior and words have often triggered controversy here. In some cases, they caused misunderstandings that there is a serious rift in the alliance, especially over how to deal with issues concerning North Korea.

The point in contention in the latest fuss was the Moon Jaein administration's move to resume exchanges with the North as a means to break the deadlock in the denuclearization dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

Regarding the Moon administration's idea of resuming individual tours to Mount Geumgang in the North, Harris reportedly told foreign reporters in Seoul last week that South Korea would do better to hold prior consultations with the U.S. via the bilateral working group to avoid misunderstandings that might "trigger sanctions." Cheong Wa Dae expressed deep regret over this remark, describing it as "highly inappropriate." A spokesman for the Ministry of Unification handling inter-Korean affairs also protested, saying, "Our policy with regard to North Korea comes under our sovereignty."

It is unfortunate that there is misunderstanding that the U.S. ambassador is trying to intervene in South Korea's internal affairs when the allies need a coordinated approach toward the North more than ever amid the stalled denuclearization dialogue and the North's renewed threats.

We hope Ambassador Harris will learn diplomatic language, if the U.S. does not oppose inter-Korean peace. Some South Koreans have been criticizing him for acting like "governor general" of the Japanese colonial government. He should know it is not just because of his moustache or his Japanese mother.