Several reports suggest that two secret service personnel were deported from South Korea to the United States this week following a drunken brawl with a local driver ahead of President Biden’s trip to the country.
ABC News An agent and an armed bodyguard assigned to travel to Seoul to help prepare for Biden’s arrival went to a recent dinner and raided several liquor stores on Friday.
That night, the couple reportedly got drunk and got into a heated argument with Agent KP.
Although only one of the two workers was said to have been investigated in connection with the incident, police were eventually called to the scene. Both Secret Service personnel were not detained, arrested or charged with a criminal offense.
The incident took place outside the hotel where Biden was staying in Seoul NBC News.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told The Post that “the agency is aware of an off-duty incident involving two employees, which could be a potential policy violation.”
Both employees will be “immediately returned to their workplaces and placed on administrative leave,” he said.
“There will be no impact on the upcoming trip,” Kuglilmi said. “We have very strict ethics and policies for all employees, and we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards. Since this is an active executive staff matter, we are not in a position to comment further.
Biden is said to have decided to send staff home on his way to South Korea on Thursday.
This is not the first time that secret service personnel abroad have been mistreated. Most infamously, since the 2012 president’s visit to Colombia, several agents have been sent home for a series of crimes. Including hiring prostitutes.
The president, who began a five-day trip to the Far East, arrived in South Korea on Friday afternoon local time. Biden made his first business line-up tour of the Samsung computer chip factory with South Korean President Eun Suu Kyi.
“Our two countries are working together to create the best and most advanced technology in the world. This factory is proof of that, ”the president said. “If we can keep our supply chains flexible, reliable and secure, it will make both the Republic of Korea and the United States competitive in the world economy.”
“This vibrant democracy has become a powerhouse of global innovation by investing in educating its people in companies like Samsung, driven by the responsible growth of technology and innovation,” he added. “In the direction of our two countries, it will be important to shape the future in the direction we both want to go.”
Samsung last November announced plans to open a $ 17 billion semiconductor plant in Tyler, Texas. Last year’s semiconductor shortages affected the availability of autos, kitchen appliances and other items, which led to high inflation worldwide. The president said the Texas plant would add 3,000 high-tech jobs and include union workers in construction.
“These little chips are the key to pushing us into the next era of human technological development,” Biden said.
Biden will travel to Tokyo on Sunday, where he will meet with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio before attending the summit on Monday.
With post wires
