Hong Ik-pyo's Visit to China: "Does the Government and Ruling Party Consider International Severance of Korea-China Relations?"

KBS 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs' Interview
"Tribute Diplomacy? ... Don't Use It for Political Struggles"

During the unexpected remarks incident involving Xing Haiming, the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, Hong Ik-pyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea currently visiting China, rebutted the ruling party's criticism calling it 'tributary diplomacy,' saying, "It is not desirable to politicize diplomatic issues."

In an interview on June 15th with KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' Representative Hong explained that the purpose of his visit to China was to listen to the difficulties faced by Korean companies in China and to discuss China's restrictions on group tours from Korea. He added that the ruling party's criticism of this was "very inappropriate."

Hong Ik-pyo, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Regarding the atmosphere on the Chinese side about this incident, Representative Hong said, "They are very concerned about Korea-China relations and firmly believe that things should not worsen." He added, "Especially since it is the 31st anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over that time, bilateral relations have improved more than with any other country in the world, developing not only economic cooperation but also a strategic partnership."

On the Chinese side's position regarding Ambassador Xing's 'betting' remarks, he conveyed, "According to think tanks and key officials, it is not that 'betting on the U.S. instead of China was wrong.' The Chinese position has long recognized the Korea-U.S. alliance itself. However, China hopes that an international order will be formed where countries, including Korea, Japan, and Europe, make independent judgments based on their own interests rather than aligning with a specific country."

He added, "Of course, they are uncomfortable with the world order being reorganized around the U.S., but that does not mean they are saying 'align with China' in return."

Regarding criticism that Representative Lee Jae-myung just listened to Ambassador Xing's remarks without responding, Representative Hong agreed, saying, "I also agree with that criticism, and it is true that Ambassador Xing's remarks were somewhat inappropriate and hurt public sentiment."

However, Representative Hong questioned, "'If we say 'expel the ambassador' or 'designate him as unfit,' where would Korea-China relations go? Does the government and ruling party even consider a complete international severance of Korea-China relations?'"

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