Chinese State Media Criticizes Yoon's Speech... "Shows Readiness to Open Pandora's Box"

by Kang Nahum

Published 29 Apr.2023 11:22(KST)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chinese state media criticized President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 27th (local time) for showing readiness to open a "Pandora's box" that deepens regional conflict structures through his speech to the U.S. Congress.

The state-run English newspaper China Daily stated in an editorial on the 29th, "Although President Yoon's speech received a standing ovation from U.S. lawmakers, once the glow of that welcome fades, this U.S.-dependent visit will face the anxieties it has caused domestically and regionally."

It further argued, "There is a risk of growing dissatisfaction within South Korea regarding the de facto declaration of a major shift in South Korean diplomacy, which has long emphasized strategic autonomy, pursued reconciliation with North Korea, maintained fundamental lines on historical issues with Japan, upheld constructive relations among China, the U.S., and Russia, and stressed geopolitical balance in the region."

Regarding President Yoon's mention of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in his speech, the editorial added, "He showed readiness to hurt China's feelings and embrace the arms of the United States."

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir refers to the winter of 1950 when the U.S. Marine 1st Division, which had advanced north to the Chosin Reservoir area in the Kaema Highlands, was surrounded and faced annihilation by seven Chinese People's Volunteer Army divisions but broke through the encirclement and withdrew. In his speech, President Yoon mentioned, "The U.S. Marine 1st Division achieved a miraculous feat by breaking through the human wave tactics of 120,000 Chinese troops during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir."

The editorial also wrote, "Ignoring the ugly behavior of the United States, which gambles on the division of the Korean Peninsula for its narrow purposes and shifts all responsibility onto North Korea while showing aggression toward the North, is worrisome as it transforms South Korea from a far-sighted peace promoter into a warmonger sacrificing itself for U.S. hegemony."

It continued, "President Yoon's blind alignment with the U.S. in the Ukraine crisis not only undermines international efforts to promote peace negotiations but also complicates the situation in Northeast Asia further." It criticized, "President Yoon continues to open the lid of Pandora's box without sensing what is coming out of it."