The government on Wednesday established the post of consul general or consul at all its smaller overseas missions to further strengthen consular affairs. The decision was made in the wake of the government's "diplomatic blunder" in connection with China's execution of a South Korean drug trafficker on Sept. 25th. Officials at the South Korean Embassy in China and the Shenyang consular office failed to follow judicial steps to influence or at least accurately monitor the sentencing of the executed and three accomplices arrested by Chinese authorities.
Previously, the government had ambassadors at overseas missions with five or fewer officials also assume the post of consul general.
At overseas missions with fewer than four officials, officials of the ministry's second rank assumed the post of consul.