South Korea protests Aronda death blame
South Korea Government Administration and Home Affairs Minister Chong Jong-sup and the late Gen Aronda Nyakairima shake hands after their meeting in Seoul. Courtesy Photo
Kampala.
South Korea has protested remarks made by President Museveni last week that former Internal Affairs minister Aronda Nyakairima was denied medical attention shortly before boarding a plane in Seoul, which could have contributed to his death.
The embassy has tendered a ‘note verbale’ (a diplomatic letter of protest) to the Foreign Affairs ministry, describing the report as inaccurate.
It emerged yesterday the South Korea Ambassador Park Jong-Dae met with the Foreign Affairs ministry Permanent Secretary Ambassador James Mugume over the matter.
Last Friday, President Museveni while addressing mourners during the requiem service for Gen Aronda at Kololo Independence Grounds criticised South Korea for reportedly denying the former Chief of Defence Forces first aid.
“Now when they went to hospital, apparently the South Koreans said they cannot allow somebody to go to hospital who doesn’t have insurance in South Korea. That is nonsense. Surely, in South Korea they must have emergencies. How can someone come as an emergency and then you say, ‘insurance, insurance… you treat him and see whether he will not pay. What was the problem,” Mr Museveni said.
Mr Park told Daily Monitor yesterday that at the moment, they are restrained from making any comment to the media, which he blamed for broadcasting the President’s remarks before crosschecking with the country’s embassy.
He said South Korea now awaits the Ugandan ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify the matter.
“We expressed our concerns with [your] Foreign Affairs, so contact them,” Mr Park said.
Gen Aronda died on September 11 aboard a flight from South Korea en route to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
An autopsy conducted by a team of government pathologists indicated he died from acute heart failure.
The board chairman of National Identification and Registration Authority, Prof Peter Kasenene, who travelled with the late Aronda to Korea told mourners in Rukungiri District on Sunday that when the minister felt unwell, a protocol officer suggested that Aronda was unlikely to receive treatment in South Korea due to lack of travel (medical) insurance.
Mr Mugume, admitted yesterday that the South Korean Embassy had written asking the matter to be clarified in order to avert a looming diplomatic rift between the two countries.
“But usually, even if you don’t have insurance, at least they will ask you to pay a lot of money,” Mr Mugume said.
The PS said there was miscommunication by the team that travelled along with the minister on what exactly happened.
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