Yoo Sang-beom "Kim Tae-hyo's Submissiveness? Eating 7 Solo Meals in China Is Submissiveness"

Kim Tae-hyo, the First Deputy Director of the National Security Office, stated that "there is no evidence that the United States conducted surveillance or wiretapping with malicious intent," which the Democratic Party criticized as 'submissive diplomacy.' In response, Yoo Sang-beom, the chief spokesperson of the ruling party, People Power Party, rebutted by referring to the Moon Jae-in administration's diplomacy toward China.

On the 13th, Yoo said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Submissiveness in diplomacy is like saying 'China is a big mountain and we are a small mountain,' or having seven solo meals in China," expressing this view.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This was a pointed reference to the 'solo meal' controversy involving former President Moon Jae-in during his administration. The phrase "China is a big mountain and we are a small mountain" appears to refer to Moon's 2017 speech at Peking University during his visit to China, where he described China as a "high mountain peak" and a "great power," while referring to Korea as a "small country."

Yoo said, "During the journalists' coverage, they were assaulted by Chinese public security officers but couldn't utter a word; this is submissiveness," adding, "On the other hand, information related to Israel was leaked, and even proud France had leaks, but both countries responded by saying 'that is false information.'"

He continued, "So, are Israel and France submissive? Of course not," he said. "In 2014, when Snowden revealed the surveillance, German Chancellor Merkel was furious and asked, 'Is it possible that my phone was tapped for 10 years?' Obama apologized. But four years later, the German government was caught wiretapping the White House. That’s how intelligence works," he added.

He emphasized that intelligence activities are inevitable even among allied countries. Yoo said, "Whether friend or foe, the United States conducts extensive intelligence activities; likewise, China, Russia, and all countries engage in intelligence operations."

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