Foreign ministry to launch special team to monitor overseas missions

South Korea's foreign ministry said Friday that it will form a special team tasked with monitoring diplomats at overseas missions for any misdeeds in a bid to enforce tougher workplace discipline.

The team, in cooperation with the ministry's existing internal inspection office, will keep tabs on diplomats working at the country's embassies, consulates and other missions.

The move comes as the current inspection office is said to be short-staffed in that it has to monitor workers at over 180 overseas missions.

(Yonhap)

The ministry has been making efforts to enforce tougher workplace discipline after revelations of a series of misdeeds involving its diplomats.

In September, a South Korean embassy worker handling cultural affairs in Chile was accused of sexually harassing a 14-year-old Chilean girl while teaching Korean. 

A Chilean broadcaster then aired hidden camera footage of him harassing another young woman in December, sparking public fury in the Latin American country. He has since been dismissed from his post.

Also, an incumbent ambassador in a Middle Eastern country was found to have sexually harassed an office staff worker. The diplomat had his pay cut as punishment. (Yonhap)