President Kim Dae-jung instructed Foreign Minister Han Seung-soo Thursday to implement detailed measures to protect Koreans abroad.
The instructions came after a major diplomatic embarrassment in which the South Korean government failed to promptly deal with the execution of a Korean national in China.
Kim was quoted as saying that more Korean citizens are not only residing overseas but are going abroad for business and travel. We urgently need protection measures so that their rights are not infringed.
Kim specifically ordered government-drawn revisions to consular affairs to tighten cooperation with other countries.