The foreign ministry plans to tighten its rules of internal audits on overseas diplomatic missions to combat wrongdoings and corruption by diplomats, an official said Wednesday.

Under the tougher rules, the ministry will carry out its own audit into all missions at least once every three years, the official said on the condition of anonymity. South Korea has nearly 170 missions abroad.

The move follows a stock manipulation scandal in which diplomats were accused of playing a role in inflating the stock prices of CNK International by deliberately exaggerating the volume of diamond reserves in a Cameroon mine developed by the KOSDAQ-listed company.

“All of the embassies, consulates and missions will have to undergo an internal audit once every three years,” the official said, adding the ministry must inspect about 60 missions a year to achieve the target.

So far, the ministry has conducted its audit into some 30 missions a year.

The scandal hinged on a false press statement released by the ministry in December 2010.

The auditors found that Kim Eun-seok, an ambassador in charge of energy and resources, encouraged ministry officials to issue the press release, which dramatically overestimated the volume of diamond reserves, causing CNK shares to shoot up.

Although Kim has denied any wrongdoing, auditors found that his relatives and associates pocketed financial gains by investing their money in CNK shares. (Yonhap News)