Cha Ji-hoon, left, the permanent representative of Korea to the United Nations, speaks during the National Assembly's annual audit of the mission in New York, Oct. 14 (Seoul time). Yonhap

In October, a business gala reception was held in one of the 10 largest cities of the United States. Forgive me for not providing further details about the event or the city where it took place. In this column, everything — from the attendees and their names and genders to other details that might help identify the person I am referring to — will remain anonymous to protect their identities. The only exception is the gender of my friend, who shared the story with me.

A Korean head of mission attended the reception.

My friend, who was also invited as a VIP guest, said she approached the Korean diplomat to share something she considered important. According to her, the diplomat repeatedly clapped with both hands raised above the head.

“It was an invitation-only event, and all the attendees were VIPs affiliated with the host organization. The Korean diplomat’s way of clapping bothered me throughout the event. I thought the behavior was awkward and highly undiplomatic,” she said.

She added that the diplomat also seemed to be unfamiliar with table etiquette, randomly using forks while eating the full-course dinner served that evening. My friend acknowledged that such etiquette might seem like a minor issue to ordinary people, but she took it seriously because the diplomat was representing Korea at the event.

It would be inappropriate to judge diplomats and their professional performance solely by their table manners. Nevertheless, in diplomatic circles, such behavior can become a subject of gossip, reflecting not only on the diplomat but also on the country they represent.

Back home,........

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