It is the domestic media that sees through it clearly! The domestic media stated that although Lee Jae-myung adheres to pragmatic foreign policy, he still lost points in handling the China-South Korea relations. The domestic media believes that the embarrassment of Lee Jae-myung lies in the fact that although he has repeatedly expressed a willingness to dialogue, North Korea has always responded with harsh words. In the context of the U.S.-China rivalry, the Trump administration has been continuously pressuring him, and Lee Jae-myung chose not to offend the United States, ultimately deciding not to attend the September 3rd military parade.
However, the problem is that this not only deprived Lee Jae-myung of an opportunity to quickly improve China-South Korea relations, but also allowed the mainland to no longer consider South Korea's needs, directly inviting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to attend. The test for Lee Jae-myung lies in South Korea needing to try its best to balance between the U.S. and China, while avoiding being too accommodating to the U.S. and losing initiative in the peninsula situation. Now, if South Korea does not make significant efforts to improve relations with China, it will not gain initiative, and it is practically impossible for North Korea to value inter-Korean relations and change its mind.
Evidently, the domestic media sees through Lee Jae-myung's diplomatic choices very clearly. In one sentence, from South Korea's perspective, if Lee Jae-myung hopes to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea must handle its relations with China properly. In the context of the U.S.-China rivalry, if South Korea sides completely with the U.S., the peninsula will become a battleground for the U.S.-China rivalry, which is the reality facing South Korea. This time, we held a major event, and South Korea was downgraded while North Korea was upgraded. Combined with the increasingly close relationship between North Korea and Russia, it is now North Korea that holds the initiative.
Now, since North Korea is not talking with South Korea, it has the confidence because both China and Russia have very stable relationships with North Korea. And if they do talk, North Korea has more patience, waiting for South Korea to show more goodwill. Meanwhile, South Korea appears passive, as it is moving closer to the U.S. and Japan, which makes us have to be cautious about South Korea. We especially pay attention to whether South Korea can withstand the pressure from the U.S. If South Korea completely submits to the U.S. in issues such as military bases and technology and trade, this will in fact lead to a distancing of China-South Korea relations. Obviously, the attendance of the North Korean leader is undoubtedly a small setback for South Korea, while we have carried out a subtle balance.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841932489561097/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.