Sing Haiming Received Hospitality Worth 10 Million Won per Night on Ulleungdo

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Composing a Legend

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Xing Haiming has sparked controversy with his remarks on 'interference in internal affairs,' amid allegations that the ambassador and his spouse received hospitality, including a free stay at a luxury resort on Ulleungdo Island.

Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung is meeting with Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, on the evening of the 8th at the Chinese Ambassador's residence in Seongbuk-gu.
[Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group]

According to multiple domestic media outlets on the 13th, on the 16th of last month, Ambassador Xing and his spouse stayed for free at a resort operated by Group A, which has a subsidiary corporation in China.

The accommodation requires a minimum two-night stay, with the cost per night reportedly set at at least 10 million KRW, raising suspicions of hospitality.

In response, a resort official explained, "When the victims' families of Chinese nationals visited Korea after the Itaewon tragedy, Group A provided vehicle support," adding, "The Chinese ambassador expressed gratitude for this, and this was a reciprocal gesture."

Earlier, on the 8th, Ambassador Xing caused controversy by threatening during a dinner meeting with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "It seems like you are betting on the US winning and China losing, but that is clearly a wrong judgment," and "You will definitely regret it in the future."

In response, a senior official from the presidential office criticized Ambassador Xing on the 12th during a briefing, stating, "The position of an ambassador serves as a bridge connecting the home country and the host country," and "If the bridging role is inappropriate, it can harm the national interests of both the home and host countries."

He continued, "Article 41 of the Vienna Convention stipulates that diplomats must respect the laws of the host country," and "The same article obliges diplomats not to interfere in the internal affairs of the host country."

Representative Lee Jae-myung and Ambassador Xing Haiming of China [Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers]

However, on the 13th, the Global Times and Huanqiu Shibao, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily, questioned Ambassador Xing's remarks in editorials, asking, "Is this not true?", "What is excessive, what threatens Korea, and what constitutes interference in internal affairs?"

The editorials argued, "In the past, Korea balanced between China and the US, but now siding with one (the US) and betting on it is the mindset of a radical gambler and highly irrational," and "Due to the imbalance between the growing ambitions of a great power and magnanimity, Korean diplomacy is proud yet sensitive, suspicious, fragile, and very immature."

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