After changing "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China" on the entry form, Lee Jae-myung seized the momentum to send two more friendly signals to China, making the visit to China an urgent matter.

Lee Jae-myung attending the event

Unnoticed by anyone, Lee Jae-myung quietly did something significant, secretly changing "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China" on the electronic entry form, and then continued to send two more friendly signals to China. First, at a recent event, Lee Jae-myung clearly expressed his support for South Korea's efforts to strengthen Chinese character education, believing that this would help develop the thinking ability of Korean students.

Lee Jae-myung also made a joke about himself, saying that if he continued like this, he would be called "Lee Jumyeong" (Lee Guilt) instead of "Lee Jae-myung." Since "guilt" and "at" have similar pronunciations in Korean, many people do not know what the corresponding Chinese characters are. Now, the internet often refers to Lee Jae-myung as "Lee Jumyeong," mocking his previous judicial review.

Additionally, the South Korean government is planning to hold a K-POP concert in China next month featuring numerous South Korean singers, and has already sought opinions from major South Korean entertainment companies. According to South Korean officials, China has taken a positive attitude toward this. Studying Chinese characters and holding a concert in China — Lee Jae-myung's friendly intentions towards China are hard to hide.

Chinese characters on Korean ancient buildings

However, it should be clear that the fundamental purpose of Lee Jae-myung's actions is to visit China as soon as possible, using practical measures to find a balance between the U.S. and China. However, a visit to China is not something that can be done on a whim; it requires first eliminating misunderstandings and building closer ties. After the THAAD incident, Sino-Korean relations cooled down for several years, and the so-called "ban on South Korea" caused severe losses to South Korea's entertainment and tourism industries.

Therefore, for Lee Jae-myung to visit China, he must first find two "low-sensitivity, high-resonance" entry points. Chinese character education and the K-POP concert became the best choices: one touches cultural roots, and the other connects with ordinary people, allowing the transmission of friendliness without causing controversy — it is almost tailor-made for easing tensions.

K-POP girl group from South Korea

It is worth noting that this is not solely about "flattering China"; South Korea will also benefit from these two activities. For instance, in terms of Chinese character education, South Korea historically used Chinese characters. However, the long-term campaign to "de-Chinese-characterize" has led to the current situation where Korean scholars cannot even read their own historical records, which has a significant impact on the development of Korean culture.

K-POP is one of South Korea's "pillar industries," and the Chinese market is an unavoidable "fat piece." After taking office, Lee Jae-myung aims to revitalize the economy, and bringing K-POP back to the Chinese market is the fastest way to achieve this. It allows entertainment companies to make money, drives related industries such as tourism and merchandise, and also boosts domestic popularity.

Sino-Korean ambassador meeting

Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly expressed his desire to visit China in public. Cultural preheating is intended to allow this crucial visit to take place in a relatively warm and non-confrontational context, reducing the risks of direct political clashes. In short, Chinese characters and K-POP are the "key," warming up the atmosphere first before discussing serious matters naturally.

Certainly, on the surface, this seems like Lee Jae-myung "flattering China," but behind the scenes, it is a mutual "win-win" between China and South Korea. Ultimately, friendship between nations is not achieved by shouting slogans, but through tangible, real actions. South Korea's move is an active "knock" initiated by Lee Jae-myung to break the diplomatic stalemate and serve the country's core interests. However, the real test has just begun.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7585111486335451711/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.