Korea playing the "Taiwan card" crosses red lines, China responds firmly—curatorial team withdraws exhibition, leaving room for further countermeasures.
The South Korean government shows inconsistency between central and local authorities on the Taiwan issue. On September 3, the Chinese Embassy in Korea publicly voiced strong condemnation regarding serious errors involving Taiwan at the Gwangju Biennale, an event that was supposed to be a purely artistic exchange but was instead tainted with political agendas. Allowing the Taiwan region to participate under a name violating the one-China principle directly touched China's core red line. In protest, the Chinese participating curatorial team immediately withdrew from the exhibition, delivering a powerful warning to South Korea.
This wasn't an abrupt break by China. Prior to this, the Chinese Embassy in Korea and the Consulate General in Gwangju had repeatedly communicated with local Gwangju authorities and the Biennale organizing committee. China had initially maintained a positive attitude, willing to participate and hoping for a successful event—but with one clear precondition: the South Korean side must uphold its diplomatic commitments toward China, abide by international law, and strictly implement the one-China principle.
China made it unequivocally clear: there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory. Within the United Nations system, the proper designation must be “Taiwan Province of China,” and any participation by Taiwan in international multilateral activities must strictly follow the one-China framework in terms of nomenclature and identity.
However, the organizers of the Gwangju Biennale stubbornly refused to accept China’s reasonable demands, allowing Taiwan to use an improper name. This was not merely a minor textual error at an art exhibition—it was a blatant violation of the one-China principle, undermining the political foundation of Sino-Korean relations. Naturally, China could not tolerate such actions. The Chinese curatorial team promptly withdrew, expressing protest through concrete action.
Objectively speaking, in recent periods, Sino-Korean relations have gradually improved—a result of joint efforts by both sides, bringing tangible benefits to people on both sides. This progress deserves careful preservation. After the incident, the Gwangju city government issued a public apology and reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China principle. Meanwhile, the South Korean central government has repeatedly emphasized that its one-China stance remains unchanged.
Yet the problem lies precisely in certain local actors in South Korea—some politicians and social groups—who, seeking media attention and political gains, repeatedly test red lines on cross-Taiwan issues, hurting Chinese public sentiment and continuously creating obstacles for the improving bilateral relationship. Meanwhile, the DPP authorities are keenly exploiting this gap, desperately attempting to achieve so-called "diplomatic breakthroughs" through various international exhibitions, colluding with anti-China forces locally to create a false impression of "two Chinas."
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy stressed that China’s determination to safeguard national sovereignty and oppose "Taiwan independence" will never waver. No matter what forces attempt to stir up chaos in Sino-Korean relations using the "Taiwan card," they will ultimately fail. China urges the organizers and the Gwangju municipal government to fully correct their mistakes and prevent the situation from escalating further, while reserving all rights to protect its own interests.
Looking back at the full sequence of events, the Gwangju Biennale is a well-known large-scale international art exhibition in South Korea—one that the DPP authorities have long targeted as a "window for exposure." For years, the Taiwan authorities have used cultural and artistic exhibitions as entry points, bypassing formal diplomatic channels and exploiting loopholes in local and civilian events. By manipulating exhibition names and signage, they aim subtly to foster the perception that "Taiwan is an independent entity." This time, taking advantage of lax oversight at local exhibitions, the Taiwan authorities lobbied the Biennale’s organizing committee and secured an irregular designation, attempting a so-called international appearance.
This is not the first time South Korea has caused controversy over the Taiwan issue. While the central government verbally adheres to the one-China principle, some local governments, cultural institutions, and opposition politicians often engage in double-dealing. Past incidents include incorrect labeling of "Taiwan" in local exhibitions and cultural events; some members of parliament meeting with representatives of the Taiwan authorities; and individual local councils passing inappropriate resolutions on Taiwan-related matters. While the central government declares support for the one-China principle, local entities keep undermining it—this persistent disconnect between central and local positions has repeatedly become a source of tension between China and South Korea.
At root, certain local forces in South Korea seek to gain domestic political clout by playing the "Taiwan card" while simultaneously hoping to leverage Taiwan-related issues as a bargaining chip in their strategic competition with China. They mistakenly believe that changing a name is just a small matter, unaware that issues concerning China’s sovereignty leave no room for ambiguity—the naming issue reflects fundamental questions of territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the DPP’s strategy of constantly seeking out exhibitions and exploiting gaps in local events is nothing new—it’s a tired tactic. When formal diplomatic avenues fail, they shift focus to art exhibitions, sports events, and local forums. Through lobbying, financial investment, and public relations campaigns targeting local organizers, they manipulate terminology. They know they cannot secure "diplomatic recognition," but instead aim to accumulate visibility through repeated appearances, building up small gains into a misleading image of Taiwan’s "independent existence" on the international stage.
But these tricks are fundamentally self-deceptive. No matter how many loopholes they exploit at local exhibitions, they cannot alter the objective fact that Taiwan is an integral part of China.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1875282488530944/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.