President Moon Jae-in dispatched Im Jong-seok, Blue House chief of staff, as a special envoy to the UAE and Lebanon earlier this month. Im left for the UAE on Dec. 9 and visited Lebanon on Dec. 11.
The Blue House claimed the trip was to cheer up Korean troops in the two countries and improve bilateral ties with the Middle Eastern partners. But Defense Minister Song Young-moo visited those troops just last month, and the Blue House only announced Im's trip on Dec. 10, after his departure.
Opposition politicians argued that Im was sent to calm a diplomatic row with the UAE, and that Korea's ties with the Middle Eastern nation were in jeopardy due to the Moon administration's campaign against former President Lee Myung-bak.
What is the nature of theses allegations? Korean political commentator Jung-sik Seo analyses
