The newly elected leadership of the Cameroonian Association in South Korea (CAMASKO) has officially cried foul, accusing the Cameroonian Honorary Consul, Dong Soon Cho, of sabotaging democratic transitions to protect a “defunct” association regime.
President Botambu Collins, who took the helm of the association in 2025 through an election, has raised an alarm over what he describes as the “illegitimate” continued influence of his predecessor, Mr. Anoh Tembe Jeff.
The controversy centers on Mr. Anoh, who led the community for over ten years since 2013, allegedly without a legal mandate. Despite his recent electoral defeat, community sources say he refuses to step aside. The situation has been exacerbated by the shock interference of the Korean Honorary Consul representing Cameroon, CNA learned.
The Consul has reportedly broken diplomatic neutrality to back the ousted leader, allegedly stating: “I am not ready to lose. I have put Mr. Anoh Jeff in places where I cannot remove him.”, CNA cannot independently verify this claim.
Betrayal of Democratic Norms
The new administration has expressed astonishment that a diplomatic representative in South Korea—a nation globally respected for its commitment to the rule of law—would actively endorse an illegal mandate.
“This is a crisis of legitimacy fueled by the very office meant to protect us,” a community representative told CNA. “The new executive is legally registered, yet we are being held hostage by a patronage system that refuses to die.”
The Human Cost: “Diplomatically Orphaned”
While the leadership battle rages, over 1,000 Cameroonians in South Korea continue to suffer from a lack of basic consular services. Without a functional embassy in Seoul, students and workers must undertake expensive and grueling trips to Japan or China just to renew a passport or register a birth.
President Collins has emphasized that this crisis is now a two-front battle for the community:
- Ending the legitimacy crisis fueled by the Honorary Consul’s partisanship.
- Lobbying Yaoundé to finally establish a fully functioning embassy to serve its citizens.
Demand for Intervention
The CAMASKO executive is now calling on the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX) in Yaoundé to intervene decisively. They are demanding a formal clarification of the Honorary Consul’s limits and an immediate affirmation of the democratically elected and legally registered board. Until Yaoundé speaks, the Cameroonian diaspora in South Korea remains in a state of diplomatic limbo, caught between a new era of governance and a past that refuses to let go.
“The issue is, the association was created in 2001, since then no leader has exceeded 4-years mandate, which is 2 years renewable once, but since taking office in 2013, Mr. Anoh Tembe remained in power till 2025 when election was conducted,” the new association president, Collins told CNA.
“After the election I won and I have continued to work and establish contact with the Korean government, however, many diplomatic channels are difficult to access since the Honorary Consul still recognizes him ( referring to Anoh) as the president despite many diplomatic effort in which the Honorary Consul said he has put Mr. ANoh Tembe’s name in a place where he can’t remove,” he added. saying, “this action has slowed down community progress since assessing some offices are donor required backing from your embassy or consulate, something the current consulate would not do”
When CNA contacted Mr. Anoh in December 2025 to respond to the accusations of him refusing to handover power, he declined to talk unless he was told who gave our newsdesk the information. Somehting we could not say because of our ethical value of protecting our sources.
“Greetings Sir, thank you for contacting me. Before responding to your accusations, I would like to verify who is indeed the sender of this message and what is happening.” He said in a reply on December 22, 2025.
