South Korea and the U.S. have denied a recent report by a Japanese news agency that Washington has asked President Park Geun-hye not to attend China’s high-profile ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of its victory over Japan in World War II.

An official at Seoul’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as untrue, saying a situation like that would never take place. The White House also said the U.S. had made no such request to Park.

It would be far-fetched to believe that Washington might push Seoul around on key diplomatic decisions. The report is seen by some observers here as reflecting Tokyo’s unease about the prospect of Park standing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade set to be staged in Beijing on Sept. 3.

China invited Park and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July to attend the parade. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said last week he had not heard about Abe’s possible visit to Beijing, suggesting the Japanese leader might have scrapped his reported plan to hold summit talks with Xi without participating in the ceremony.

It seems that the report is prompting Park and her aides to finalize their stance on what is emerging as the latest diplomatic conundrum for Seoul in its pursuit of a strategic balance between the U.S. and China. A spokesman for Park said Monday she was carefully considering whether to attend China’s Victory Day ceremony. The presidential office is expected to announce her final decision next week.

It may be an exaggerated concern that Park’s participation in the upcoming ceremony in Beijing would send a message that China has cracked the alliance between South Korea and the U.S. But it is still understandable that she feels burdened by the probability of becoming the only leader of a U.S. ally to attend the event. So far, no major Western leaders have confirmed their participation, as they are not inclined to show up at the parade that will showcase advanced weaponry held by an increasingly assertive China.

Nevertheless, it would be unwise for Seoul to weaken its partnership with Beijing -- which has strengthened since Park took office in 2013 -- by skipping the event China has been preparing for in earnest.

Park may well attend the parade against the backdrop of the historical fact that Korean independence fighters fought against Imperial Japanese troops until Japan’s surrender in WWII. Her spokesman suggested Seoul was setting its sights on the historical dimension by saying the planned opening of a refurbished headquarters of the Korean government in exile in Shanghai would be one of the factors to be considered in deciding on her trip to China.

Park also needs to take a more strategic approach by making use of her attendance in the parade as an occasion for pushing ahead with her initiatives for defusing threats from North Korea and enhancing regional security and peace.

Xi may pay more heed to her request for Beijing to take a greater role in preventing possible provocations by Pyongyang. On her return home, she would find more leeway in deciding on whether to allow the U.S. to deploy an advanced missile battery on South Korean soil. The strengthened historical solidarity with China could also put Park in a better position to call on Japan to atone for its past wrongdoings while pursuing practical cooperation with Tokyo.