Kim Eui-gyeom: "The Controversy Over Xing Haiming Started with Yoon... He Made the 'Reckless Remark' First"

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming sparked controversy by criticizing our government's diplomacy for 15 minutes at a dinner hosted by Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 8th. In response, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-gyeom claimed, "The root cause of the problem is President Yoon Seok-yeol."

On the 12th, Kim said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "I believe the root cause of this issue stems from President Yoon raising a topic that should not have been touched upon."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ambassador Xing Haiming caused controversy at the dinner by saying something to the effect of "You will regret it if you don't bet on China," and our government summoned Ambassador Xing. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by summoning our ambassador to China.

However, this ultimately points to President Yoon's remarks as the trigger for the problem. Lawmaker Kim said, "He mentioned the Taiwan issue, but our people do not deeply feel how sensitive and dangerous this issue is. However, from China's perspective, the Taiwan issue is a principle they cannot give up."

He added, "Right now, our country is sending 155mm self-propelled artillery shells to Ukraine. Although the government has not officially acknowledged it yet, media reports suggest it is almost a fact. I think sending verbal attacks on the Taiwan issue to China is a more dangerous and sensitive matter than sending those 155mm shells."

When asked by the host whether Ambassador Xing's reaction was understandable because President Yoon first touched on China's core interests, Kim said, "Our government put the first button on wrong from the start. Even if you put it on wrong, there are wise ways to handle it thoroughly from the perspective of national interest, such as separating diplomacy and security issues. But in the current confrontation between the U.S. and China, acting as if we are on the front line is a very reckless attitude."

When the host asked again if Ambassador Xing's remarks were acceptable, Kim said, "As I said earlier, we put the first button on wrong. I do not want to defend China's harsh reactions and responses. However, I want to criticize why the president, who is responsible for the safety of the country and its people, made such a reckless remark first that caused such turmoil, danger, and harm to our national interest."

Regarding the ruling party's criticism of 'submissive diplomacy,' Kim said, "He was invited and went to listen, wasn't he? First, we should listen carefully and understand the Chinese government's position, then the Korean government and our current Yoon Seok-yeol administration should mediate or communicate with each other."

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