Park Jin Criticized by China for 'Taiwan Strait' Remarks... South Korean Foreign Ministry Highlights Emphasis on Korean Peninsula Peace

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Emphasizes the Importance of Peace and Stability on the Korean Peninsula

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified its position on China’s strong criticism of Minister Park Jin’s remarks regarding the Taiwan Strait, stating that “(Minister Park’s remarks) emphasized the importance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”

The ministry’s stance is that Minister Park’s comments were at a fundamental level, stating that “unilateral changes to the status quo by force are unacceptable,” and did not directly mention the Taiwan Strait.

Earlier, in a CNN interview reported on the 22nd, Minister Park Jin said regarding the Taiwan issue, where the U.S. and China are in conflict, “South Korea opposes unilateral changes to the current status by force,” and added, “From this perspective, if anything happens in the Taiwan Strait, we must maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as it directly affects our country.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, strongly criticized the remarks during a regular briefing on the 27th when asked by Chinese media about the position. Mao Ning said, “The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair, and no one else is allowed to interfere,” using a strong tone. Mao Ning also used the four-character idiom ‘Buyongchihui’ (부용치훼), which appears in a novel by Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling, expressing a refusal to allow interference from others.

Im Soo-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 28th, when asked about the intent of Minister Park’s CNN interview remarks, “It emphasized the importance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. We expect China to play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, including resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.”

The ministry’s position is that the remarks were at a fundamental level and did not directly point to the Taiwan Strait issue. In diplomatic circles, it is interpreted that the CNN interview merely reported the South Korean government’s existing stance, but Taiwanese media escalated the issue to the unification topic, causing the Chinese government to react more sensitively.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on the same day, Minister Park Jin met privately with the families of victims forcibly mobilized during the Japanese colonial period. Minister Park met with some of the victims’ families who recently won a final lawsuit for damages related to forced mobilization against Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries through the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, at the Korean Bar Association in Seocho-gu, Seoul, in the afternoon.

Upon arriving at the meeting venue, Minister Park told reporters, “I came personally to meet the victims’ families, listen to their opinions, and prepare a desirable resolution.”

Im Soo-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing, “Through this meeting, we plan to fully explain the government’s diplomatic efforts to seek a reasonable resolution that aligns with the mutual interests of Korea and Japan regarding the Supreme Court ruling on forced mobilization, and directly listen to the opinions of the victims and their families.”

During the meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to explain that the government is consulting with Japan to elicit a “sincere response,” including Japan’s apology and participation of war crime companies in compensation, in the process of finding a solution to forced mobilization. In particular, they will also listen to the families’ opinions on the ‘third-party compensation’ method proposed by the government through a public forum last month.

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