Yoon Suk-yeol: "Korean and Chinese Youth Dislike Each Other"... Ruling Party: "Diplomacy Should Not Be Simplified to Personal Impressions"

Yoon "Moon Administration Adopted Pro-China Policy but Relations Ended Poorly"
Ruling Party "Careless Remarks Could Drive People to the Brink"

Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is speaking at the AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce in Korea) meeting held on the afternoon of the 28th at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, sparked backlash from the ruling party after claiming that "most Korean youths dislike China." Critics argue that this statement oversimplifies complex international relations.

Kang Seon-ah, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election campaign committee, issued a statement on the 28th, saying, "It is shocking to reduce diplomatic relations between countries to a low-level emotional comment about who dislikes whom," and criticized, "It is unclear whether this is bravery or ignorance."

She continued, "It is puzzling whether there has ever been a presidential candidate who simplified international relations in such a manner despite a lack of study," and pointed out, "What is even more problematic is Candidate Yoon's attitude in definitively denying the friendly relationship between Korea and China."

Spokesperson Kang emphasized, "As a leader of the Republic of Korea, it is essential to have the capability to maintain a strong Korea-US alliance as well as friendly relations with China through precise and sophisticated remarks," adding, "Dealing with US-China competition is like walking on a cliff path. One wrong step can lead to a precipice."

She then warned, "Candidate Yoon must never again drive the people to the edge of a cliff with careless words and actions."

Candidate Yoon said on the day, "This government has implemented China-biased policies and claimed to play the role of a mediator between the U.S. and China, but in the end, the relationship ended badly," assessing the current administration's diplomatic policy achievements. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, at a meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea held at a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, Candidate Yoon responded to a question about whether Korea's export concentration or dependency on a specific country might increase, given that 25% of Korean exports go to China, by saying, "The current government has pursued China-leaning policies, but most Korean people, especially the youth, dislike China."

He added, "Most Chinese people, especially Chinese youths, dislike Korea," and noted, "It was not like this in the past."

Candidate Yoon also claimed that the deterioration of relations between the citizens of Korea and China was due to the current government's "China-leaning diplomatic policy."

He stated, "When Korea had strong cooperation with the US and Japan and based on that engaged with China, both sides had a very favorable impression, resulting in good outcomes in business and cultural cooperation, and the peoples of both countries were amicable," adding, "However, under this government, China-leaning policies were pursued and it was said that Korea would act as a mediator between the US and China, but ultimately the relationship ended badly."

He further explained, "The most important thing is that any country can share security secrets with countries that have common constitutional ideals and national values," and added, "If that is not the case, then necessary cooperation can proceed smoothly while clearly defining each other's identities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.