Foreign Minister Cho Hyun Dismisses Han Donghun's 'Deployment Text Message' Claim as "Fake News"

Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun dismissed on the 14th as "fake news" the allegation raised by independent lawmaker Han Donghun that he had sent a text message to Moon Chungin, Honorary Professor at Yonsei University, mentioning the "presidential responsibility issue" in relation to the deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz.

Cho Hyun, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is responding during the 6th plenary session of the 439th regular meeting at the National Assembly on the 10th, addressing questions related to diplomacy, unification, and security. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

During an interview with The Asia Business Daily at the annex of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Seoul Government Complex that morning, Minister Cho stated, "If I had been present at the National Assembly that day, I would have shown the [actual] message to the Speaker and strongly urged them not to fabricate such fake news. I feel deeply regretful." This is the first time Minister Cho has commented directly on the authenticity of the message. However, he did not release the original text of the message.

During an interpellation session at the National Assembly on September 10, Assemblyman Han claimed, "On the afternoon of September 8, Minister Cho sent Professor Moon a text saying, 'If you want to protect President Lee Jaemyung regarding the Hormuz deployment, you should submit the agreement for National Assembly approval first, then let the Assembly members argue and fight over it; the president should not step up and take responsibility himself, otherwise the issue of presidential responsibility will arise.' The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea sent this to a retired professor who holds no official position. Is there some sort of 'under circle' behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?" he asked pointedly.

At the time, Minister Cho was absent from the plenary session due to a diplomatic schedule. Assemblyman Han repeatedly requested First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonju, who attended in Cho's place, to verify the authenticity of the message, but it appears direct contact with Minister Cho could not be made as he was engaged in diplomatic talks.

Immediately after Assemblyman Han's inquiry, Professor Moon also denied Han's allegations. He acknowledged exchanging messages with Minister Cho regarding the Hormuz deployment, but stated there were no mentions of a "presidential responsibility issue," as Assemblyman Han had claimed. On September 8, the alleged date of the message exchange, Professor Moon was at Keio University in Japan participating in a high-level Korea-Japan strategic dialogue. He reportedly showed some of the lawmakers attending the dialogue a message from Minister Cho stating, "This is a matter of limited participation for international maritime security, but I am concerned as the political circles keep framing it as troop deployment." At the time, lawmakers Jin Jongoh and Bae Hyunjin from the People Power Party were reportedly present at the event.

However, Professor Moon also did not disclose the original text message. He told The Asia Business Daily, "It is difficult to release the message without Minister Cho's consent."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.