On Friday the U.S. embassy in Seoul hung up a large 'Black Lives Matter' banner and posted a tweet about it:
U.S. Embassy Seoul - @USEmbassySeoul - 22:04 UTC · Jun 12, 2020The U.S. Embassy stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change. Our #BlackLivesMatter banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive & just society.
When I first saw that tweet on Saturday I wondered how long the banner would stay up. It was clear that the White House would be miffed about it as the banner and the tweet were running against Trump's election tactic of raising tensions.
Today the banner was taken down:
A large “Black Lives Matter” banner draped on the front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul was removed on Monday after it was brought to the attention of President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, according to people familiar with the matter.Pompeo and Trump were both displeased about the banner, the people said. A large, multicolored “pride” banner recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people was also removed on Monday. They were replaced with a banner commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
To hang up such a banner can be understood as a public protest against Trump. The U.S. ambassador in South Korea is Harry Harris, a former 4-star general and head of the U.S. Pacific Command:
“USA is a free and diverse nation... from that diversity, we gain our strength” the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris said in a re-tweet of the official embassy message in which he also quoted former President John Kennedy.The embassy had displayed the large rainbow flag in support of “LGBTQ Pride Month” last year, despite an order of the State Department not to hoist the banner.
Harris' full tweet:
Harry Harris @USAmbROK - 22:15 UTC · Jun 12, 2020I believe in what President JFK said on June 10, 1963 at American University: "If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity." USA is a free & diverse nation...from that diversity we gain our strength.
Harris is Asian-American. His mother is Japanese. I am pretty sure he takes anti-racism seriously (even as his arrogant behavior towards Koreans lets one assume differently.)
Harris was originally supposed to become U.S. ambassador to Australia. That would have been a plush and easy job. But two years ago Trump and Pompeo ordered him to Seoul in preparation for Trump's talks with North Korea's chairman Kim Jong-un. Harris was known to be a North-Korea hawk:
On the subject of North Korea, Harris expressed caution in falling for the country's so-called "charm offensive," indicating Kim's regime as the most immediate threat to both the U.S. and South Korea during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in February dedicated to security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.According to Harris, Kim's desire is to reunite the peninsula under a single communist system. "He's on a path to achieve what he feels is his natural place," he said. He championed the strengthening of the U.S. missile defense system as well as economic and diplomatic pressure to "bring Kim Jong Un to his senses, not his knees."
On several issues Harris pushed South Korea and its government around. There were public demonstrations against him and a group of young people even climbed over the embassy wall to protest against his arrogant behavior.
It seems Harris has had enough of his thankless job. There were rumors in April that he would not stay on during a second Trump presidency or that he might even resign earlier:
US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris has said privately that he does not plan to stay beyond the November US presidential election, regardless of whether President Donald Trump wins another term, five sources told Reuters news agency.Harris, a 40-year veteran of the US Navy and Trump appointee who started in Seoul in 2018, has expressed increasing frustration with the tensions and drama of his tenure, the sources said, all speaking on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.
...
In December protesters destroyed portraits of Harris during a demonstration outside the US Embassy as they chanted, "Harris out! We are not a US colony! We are not an ATM machine!"
My best guess is that Harris ordered the LGBT and BLM banners up as intentionally insubordinate acts towards Trump and Pompeo. "Fire me. I dare you." As a former high ranking commander he is likely to support the opinions of other former generals, like Dempsey, Mullen and Mattis, who recently protested against Trump's threat to use active military against protesters.
The man wanted to make a point before he leaves his post.
That is now likely to happen rather sooner than later.
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