“What Do They Want Us to Do?” President Yoon Accuses China of Trying to Find Fault with the Washington Declaration

President Yoon Suk-yeol attends a luncheon with the Office of the President press at Pine Grass, the front lawn of the presidential office building in Yongsan, Seoul on May 2. Courtesy of the Office of the President

On May 2, President Yoon Suk-yeol aimed at China’s opposition to the summit between South Korea and the United States and asked, “What do they want us to do when they’re not joining in sanctions for (North Korea’s) the violation of (UN) Security Council resolutions? We don’t have a choice.” He seemed to imply that China’s policy on North Korea presented the grounds for the Washington Declaration, which resulted from South Korea’s summit with the U.S., as well as the justification for South Korea’s stance--very close to the U.S. The president responded head on to concerns of reducing the space for foreign relations with China and Russia by arguing for South Korea’s inevitable need to respond to North Korea’s nuclear program.

President Yoon attended a luncheon with the Office of the President reporters at Pine Grass, the garden in front of the presidential office building in Yongsan, and when a reporter asked about China’s opposition, he said, “If they want to object to and criticize the Washington Declaration between South Korea and the U.S. and to our efforts for a nuclear-based upgrade in security cooperation, they should reduce the nuclear threats (from North Korea) or at least abide by international law, the Security Council sanctions against nuclear threats.”

At the core of the Washington Declaration, the fruit of the South Korea-U.S. summit on April 26 (local time), is the establishment of a new Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) between the two countries in connection to executing extended deterrence. The Chinese government criticized the declaration claiming, “They must not intentionally cause tension and exaggerate the threat.”

As for concerns that the rising tension between South Korea and China could intimidate the economic exchanges between the two countries, President Yoon said, “As long as China does not engage in hostile behavior against us, and we accurately abide by mutual contracts and keep things predictable, as long as we have mutual respect, we can resolve economic problems with China anytime.” As for the Washington Declaration, the president stressed that it was a “nuclear-based upgrade” of the security alliance between South Korea and the U.S.

In a cabinet meeting at the Office of the President on Tuesday morning, President Yoon said, “The Nuclear Consultative Group will be practically more effective than the Nuclear Planning Group of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), for South Korea and the U.S. will meet one-on-one more frequently for deeper discussions,” and asked his cabinet members to work on the details to specify the Washington Declaration.

The meeting with the press took place when President Yoon made a surprise visit to an event for the press and the Office of the President staff in connection to the opening of the Yongsan Children’s Garden on May 4.