S. Korean Conservatives Vow to Get Tougher on China
South Korea's main conservative party is signaling it will take a firmer stance on China, and place a bigger emphasis on human rights in its foreign policy, if it wins back the presidency in a hotly contested March election.
Though the shift would likely be welcomed by the United States, which has tried to rally its Asian allies and partners to contain China, many analysts question whether South Korean conservatives would really oversee such a dramatic change.
South Korea faces a delicate balancing act with the world's two most powerful countries. It relies on the United States, its longtime treaty ally, for protection. But it is also deeply intertwined with next-door neighbor China, its biggest trading partner.
In many important ways, Seoul has already chosen to be closer with Washington. The country's outgoing president, Moon Jae-in, has expanded South Korea's participation in several U.S.-led multilateral forums, including some that exclude or have criticized Beijing.
But notably, Moon has appeared reluctant to directly criticize China over issues such as its crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement or abuse of Uighur Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang.
'Strategic clarity'
Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential nominee of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), has hinted at a more direct approach.
In recent months, Yoon has indicated he would more explicitly align South Korea with the United States, appearing to reject the so-called "strategic ambiguity" Seoul has used to balance its relationship with Washington and Beijing.
"You have to lead the nation's business with strategic clarity," Yoon recently told a South Korean newspaper.
Speaking at a policy forum Monday in Seoul, Yoon called for diplomacy based on "universal values," such as liberal democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Yoon has shown a willingness to risk China's ire. He has referred to the novel coronavirus, first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, as the "Wuhan virus." He has also said Chinese immigration to South Korea should have been cut off early in the pandemic.
Others in Yoon's conservative party are even more forceful in their calls for South Korea to align itself against China.
In an interview with VOA, PPP chief Lee Jun-seok criticized the current South Korean government for "hesitating to say whether it will ally itself with the side of democracy or the enemies of democracy."
"We must stand in support of democratic ideals -- it's a matter of essential values," said Lee.
China suspicions
South Koreans appear increasingly wary of China's growing strength and more combative posture.
In 2015, only 37% of South Koreans had a negative view of China, according to the Washington DC-based Pew Research Center. By 2020, that figure had more than doubled to 75%.
The turning point appears to have been 2017, when South Korea installed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) U.S. missile defense system to counter North Korea. Beijing objected, since THAAD's radar can see deep into China.
In response, China waged a painful campaign of economic retaliation, which is estimated to have cost South Korea billions of dollars.
"It was when THAAD was deployed that many South Koreans began to question whether China could be a partner or a friend," said Lee, the conservative party chief. "People still remember that."
