Ruling party head accuses opposition of ‘fraternizing with China’

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the chair of the ruling People Power Party, speaks during a meeting of the party leadership on Thursday. (Yonhap)

Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, chief of the ruling People Power Party, castigated liberal opposition Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Thursday for their trip to China amid an ensuing row over Chinese envoy Xing Haiming’s criticism of South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol.

Kim said the trip of seven Democratic Party lawmakers came at a “diplomatically tricky” time, accusing them of “fraternizing with” Beijing against the backdrop of Xing blaming the Yoon administration for South Korea and China’s deteriorating relationship.

He also called on the lawmakers to come clean about how they were financing their trip, citing South Korean news reports suggesting it was partly covered by China.

In a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Yoon criticized the Chinese envoy’s conduct as “inappropriate,” saying that it was “offensive to South Korean people.” South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chang Ho-jin, upon summoning Xing, called his remarks “untrue and unforgivable,” urging a response from Beijing.

Commenting on the reactions in Seoul, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wengbin accused the South Korean media of false reports that “amount to personal attacks” on Xing in a press conference on Tuesday.

He said that Xing’s conversation with South Korean opposition chief Rep. Lee Jae-myung, during which the remarks in question were made, was part of the envoy’s job to “engage extensively with people from various walks of life” in Seoul.

Xing said in a June 8 dinner event with Lee last week that the recent strain in the bilateral relations between South Korea and China wasn’t Beijing’s fault, in an apparent slight at the South Korean president strengthening Korea‘s alliance with the US and Japan. He also warned that Seoul was wrong to bet against China in its rivalry with the US.

Speaking at the event, Lee echoed Xing’s sentiments, noting that South Korea and China’s ties have recently weakened.

He also said that South Korea “actively supports the ‘One China’ principle,” diverging from Yoon’s stance. In an interview with Reuters in April, the South Korean president said he views Taiwan as a global issue beyond the scope of China’s domestic politics.