Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Friday ordered the health ministry to conduct an investigation into the chair of the Korean Red Cross for his alleged racist comments about foreign ambassadors in 2023.

According to Yonhap News Agency, a local media outlet reported that Kim Chul-soo, president of the Republic of Korea National Red Cross, referred to the dark skin color of the ambassadors and said they were "nothing special" after hosting an event with envoys and their spouses from seven countries, including Angola, India, and Sri Lanka.

"President Lee sternly rebuked the behavior as he issued the order," presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-jun told reporters in a notice. Lee also stressed that discrimination or hatred based on race, ethnicity, nationality, or region constitutes a serious antisocial act that undermines the national community, according to the spokesperson.