According to analysis, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s administration has pursued pragmatic diplomacy since taking office, leading to some improvement in South Korea-China relations. However, the two nations remain fraught with contradictions in political and cultural spheres, lacking mutual trust.
Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily reported that South Korea announced it will implement visa-free measures for Chinese group tourists starting late September. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the APEC leaders’ summit in South Korea this November, reflecting the thawing of bilateral relations.
However, as China rises assertively, abandoning its previous low-profile approach and expanding its influence, neighboring South Korea feels increasingly uneasy. Economically, as Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing noted, the era when South Korean companies could “make quick money” in China has ended. Instead, China’s rapid industrial development has flooded South Korea with cheap products, pressuring Korean businesses.
China has replaced Japan as the neighbor South Koreans trust least, with young people holding particularly negative views. Former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s pro-US-Japan stance during his tenure intensified domestic anti-Chinese sentiment. After Yoon declared martial law in December, his supporters held protests targeting China.
Since Lee Jae-myung took office in June, anti-Chinese demonstrations in South Korea have expanded, even targeting Chinese tourists, prompting diplomatic protests from China’s embassy.
At a recent China-South Korea forum in Beijing, former Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming called on Seoul to control domestic anti-Chinese extremist forces—the first time Chinese officials made such direct demands for “control,” according to Korean media.
Cultural and historical disputes persist, particularly regarding Goguryeo and Balhae kingdoms, which Koreans consider ancestral cultures but China views as ancient northeastern Chinese kingdoms. Recent statements by Chinese officials emphasizing these territories as Chinese history have further strained relations.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 7, 2025
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202508070051.aspx