Kelley loses honorary title

South Korea sacks socialite in Petraeus scandal

South Korea said on Tuesday it was dismissing Jill Kelley, the Florida socialite at the heart of the scandal that brought down former CIA chief David Petraeus, from her post as an honorary consul.

"We're following the necessary procedures for relieving her from the post as it's not suitable for her to carry out her duties because of the scandal," a foreign ministry official told AFP.

Florida socialite Jill Kelley walks to her Mercedes outside her home in Tampa on Nov 13. Vanity plates on her car read "honorary consul". [Photo/Agencies]

During a visit to Washington on Monday, South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun said that Kelley inappropriately used her title for personal gain.

"It's not suitable to the status of honorary consul that (she) sought to be involved in commercial projects and peddle influence," Kim was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.

Kelley, a 37-year-old Tampa woman who organized events for US military officers, was appointed as an honorary consul in August following a recommendation from the South Korean embassy in the United States.

It was Kelley who complained to an FBI agent that she had received threatening e-mails telling her to stay away from Petraeus, who once commanded Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Petraeus got to know Kelley through parties and events around Tampa.

Agents tracked the threatening e-mails to Petraeus biographer Paula Broadwell, who was having an affair with the general.

During the investigation, officials also discovered that Kelley had exchanged numerous e-mails with General John Allen when he was in charge of Central Command.

The Pentagon is investigating potentially "inappropriate" correspondence between Kelley and Allen, a four-star general who is the top US and NATO commander of the war in Afghanistan.

Kelley's title carried no official responsibilities, but she was not shy about putting her influence in the spotlight. Vanity license plates on her Mercedes read "honorary consul".

In a call to Florida police after the scandal broke, she complained that reporters were trespassing on her property and infringing her diplomatic "inviolability".

A senior South Korean Foreign Ministry official who handles consulate affairs in the US said honorary consuls do not have diplomatic immunity, and the rules for appointing them are much less strict than for potential government officials.

In the past, a US citizen who adopted a South Korean child and a businessman with strong links to South Korea were named honorary consuls, he said.

The ministry pays $2,500 a year to each of its 15 current honorary consuls in the US. The official said the ministry has been considering increasing the number because it is thought to be a cost-effective way to promote South Korea in the US.

AFP - AP