Why President Biden’s “Security Staff Deported” Amidst the Excitement of his Visit to Japan

Joe, welcome back to Japan!

At the beginning of the joint press conference held at the State Guest House in Akasaka, Tokyo on May 24, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called US President Biden by his first name to show the depth of their friendship. In the evening, they enjoyed a “Japanese omotenashi” at Happoen in Shirokanedai, with Mrs. Yuko serving tea. President Biden was apparently pleased with the event and greeted the staff in Japanese, saying “Arigato” as he left the venue.

President Biden’s visit to Asia was successful in deepening friendly relations with the countries concerned. However, behind the scenes, there were some troubles.

According to CBS and the Washington Post, two members of President Biden’s Secret Service were deported from the United States and reportedly boarded a flight back to the U.S. at around 4 p.m. on May 20. They reportedly boarded their flight back to the U.S. at around 4 p.m. on May 20,” said a reporter from the international section of a national newspaper.

In a cab in front of the hotel: ……

4:00 p.m. on May 20 was about an hour and a half before President Biden arrived in South Korea. What happened?

Two of the Secret Service employees in question arrived in Seoul prior to President Biden’s visit to South Korea. The trouble occurred on the night of the 19th, the day before President Biden’s visit to South Korea, when the two employees had dinner with their colleagues and continued drinking in downtown Seoul.

After a few drinks and getting drunk, the two returned to the Grand Hyatt Seoul, where they were staying, and one of them went into his room, but the other one probably did not have enough to drink. They tried to hail a cab that was parked in front of the hotel. That’s when the commotion began.

The staff member got into an argument with a Korean man and the driver, who were trying to get into the same cab. The drunken employee became furious and assaulted the Korean man, pushing his neck. The hotel staff reported the incident, and the police rushed to the scene.

The staff member was questioned, perhaps out of consideration for his position as a secret service officer, but he was not arrested or detained. However, the disturbance could not be pretended to have never happened. The U.S. authorities decided to deport them.

After the disturbance, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Grier commented as follows.

We are aware that two employees may have violated regulations while off-duty. The employees will be placed on administrative leave. This will not affect (President Biden’s) trip to Asia.”

Secret Service employees are prohibited from consuming alcohol 10 hours prior to the start of their workday. The desire to drink so much has become a mishap to President Biden’s performance.