Clinton’s Flair Turns to Flubs
Sometimes a guy just can’t win for trying.
That’s what happened to President Clinton on Saturday at a state dinner here.
In a series of protocol missteps, Clinton embarrassed South Korean officials, confused his translator and baffled dinner guests.
As if that wasn’t enough, he repeatedly referred incorrectly to the wife of President Kim Young Sam as Mrs. Kim. In Korea, a woman keeps her maiden name, and the president’s wife is Sohn Myong Suk, or Mrs. Sohn.
The problems may have started at a news conference with Kim earlier in the day, when Secretary of State Warren Christopher edged forward to remind Clinton to allow time for translation.
Perhaps remembering the incident, when Clinton stepped to the microphone to deliver his dinner speech, he unexpectedly invited a translator to stand between himself and Kim, who was seated.
In Korea, it is an insult for anyone to stand between two heads of state. South Korean officials were stunned by Clinton’s move and further embarrassed when the translator’s wording did not perfectly match the printed speech distributed to dinner guests.
Protocol is taken seriously in South Korea, where there are strict rules of behavior even among family members.
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