Days after car-manufacturer Hyundai’s Pakistan offshoot tweeted about “remembering the sacrifices” of people in Kashmir and asked for people to stand in support as these people continued to “struggle for freedom”, South Korean Foreign minister Chung Eui-yong called up External Affairs minister S Jaishankar and “regretted the offence” caused to the people and Government of India by the social media post, Ministry of External Affairs said Tuesday.
The Indian government Tuesday reacted sharply as it said that it had summoned the South Korean envoy and had expressed displeasure to him. The Indian envoy in Seoul also conveyed the same message to the South Korean government.
External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said he received a call from South Korean Foreign minister Chung Eui-yong and discussed the “Hyundai matter”.
Jaishankar tweeted, “Received a call from ROK FM Chung Eui-yong today. Discussed bilateral and multilateral issues as also the Hyundai matter.”
Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We had seen a social media post on the so-called Kashmir Solidarity Day was made by Hyundai Pakistan. Immediately after this social media post on Sunday, 6th February 2022, our Ambassador in Seoul contacted the Hyundai Headquarters and sought an explanation. The offending post had been removed subsequently. The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday 7th February 2022.”
