Two U.S. Secret Service employees were sent home from South Korea, where President Joe Biden is visiting, after an alleged drunken altercation.
A small number of Secret Service employees reportedly went bar-hopping in South Korea earlier this week while awaiting Biden’s arrival, according to CNN. Two members of that group – a special agent and a physical security specialist – later left the bars, and one of the Secret Service employees subsequently fought with the driver of a cab and two Korean citizens, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the situation.
The two employees involved in the incident were sent back to the U.S., according to a Secret Service spokesman. Neither had been assigned to Biden’s detail, Fox News reported.
WATCH:
#BREAKING: NBC News is reporting that we have yet another Secret Service incident as two agents were just sent home from Seoul, South Korea following a drunken incident and argument a few days ago over a taxi outside what is now President Biden’s hotel. pic.twitter.com/mlCxtT6Pgy
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 20, 2022
“The Secret Service is aware of an off-duty incident involving two employees which may constitute potential policy violations. The individuals will be immediately returned back to their post of duty and placed on administrative leave,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement according to CNN.
“There was no impact to the upcoming trip. We have very strict protocols and policies for all employees and we hold ourselves to the highest professional standards. Given this is an active administrative personnel matter, we are not in a position to comment further,” Guglielmi added.
Biden began his tour in South Korea on Friday with a visit to a Samsung Electronics semiconductor plant. North Korea is expected to be a key topic during the trip, according to Reuters.
This incident follows another recent scandal involving Secret Service members. In April, it was discovered that two men allegedly spent years posing as federal law enforcement officers and, in the process, built up relationships with members of the Secret Service. (RELATED: Two Men Allegedly Pretended To Be Federal Law Enforcement, Buying Lavish Gifts For Secret Service Officers)