Park Geun Hye’s recent visit to China to
attend 70th anniversary celebrations marking the end of WWII has been the subject of much attention and analysis, a fair amount of which speculated that the special
treatment bestowed on the South Korean leader by Beijing portends stronger bilateral
ties between the two nations going forward.
Lee Tae Hwan, head of the Chinese research
center at Sejong Institute, said that South Korea and China’s joint criticism
of North Korea’s aggravations on the Korean Peninsula sends a strong message to
the North that it should cease and prevent further provocations.
“This comes ahead of the upcoming 70th
anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party in October, when many expect
the North to launch a missile or execute another show of strength. Remarks coming out of the China-South Korea meeting will undoubtedly place major pressure on the
North,” he explained.
Cho Bong Hyun, a senior researcher from IBK
Economic Research Institute, surmised that North Korea “must feel cornered,” after China backed South Korea’s stance that further provocations by North Korea on the Korean Peninsula are “unacceptable.”
“As a nation that was trying to recover its
‘blood-ally’ relationship with China, North Korea probably feels left out in
the cold as China is trying to press ahead with a trilateral summit meeting
among South Korea, China, and Japan,” Cho asserted.
The marked absence of commentary regarding North Korea’s nuclear development on China’s part, however, divided opinions on the implications for the recent Sino-South Korea interactions. The less skeptical of those watching the issue assert
that China’s overt criticism of North Korea’s provocation is a clear indication
of its stance and proof positive of consensus with South Korea on the nuclear issue as well.
Cho does urge caution and hasty conclusions
from one meeting, noting that “it’s too much to expect denuclearization of
North Korea through a single discussion between China and South Korea.” Now, he
added, “it is imperative to devise strategies and continuously cooperate with
China in order to realize a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.”
Park’s close proximity to Xi Jinping throughout
the military parade and on the balcony overlooking the event also garnered significant attention among pundits and casual watchers alike. Many asserted that the seating demonstrated to the world that
China-South Korea relations are stronger than ever before and mused about the
degree of shock the North Korean regime would be feeling after witnessing the
seating arrangement.
Among the experts examining the issue was Seo Jae Pyung, office director for the
Committee for the Democratization of North Korea, who said, “North Korean
citizens are likely wondering why Kim Jong Un has yet to visit China–a stark
contrast from the eras of his father and grandfather, during both of which strong diplomatic ties with China featured prominently. Regardless of whether
Kim Jong Un was uninvited or rejected the invitation, North Korean citizens will
think that Sino-North Korean ties have frayed.”
“Kim Il Sung stood right next to Chinese
head of state but now we see Park Geun Hye in that position. No doubt North
Korean residents would have been shocked to see such a sight,” he noted.
