“The South Korean leader did not mention a single word about the one-China principle, but compared the Taiwan issue with the Korean peninsula issue,” Sun said.
“The issue of the Korean peninsula and the issue of Taiwan are completely different in nature and latitude and are not comparable at all.”
Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province under its one-China principle, and has not ruled out using force to take back control. Most countries – including South Korea and its major ally the US – do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, but are opposed to any forcible change in the status quo.
State-affiliated Chinese tabloid Global Times also criticised Yoon’s remarks, calling them “not only inappropriate, but also a mistake of a serious nature”.
“This statement by the Yoon Seok-yeol government on the Taiwan issue is the most egregious statement by the South Korean side since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea in 1992,” it said.
02:42
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen reaffirms ties with Guatemalan counterpart at Mayan ruins
Sun said the main cause of tensions in the Taiwan Strait was the island’s secessionist activities with outside support.
“We urge the Korean side to effectively abide by the spirit of the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, adhere to the one-China principle and be careful in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue,” Sun said.
Chung said South Korea has always respected the one-China principle and that this position has not changed.
Yoon’s remarks, which followed the latest large-scale Chinese military drills around Taiwan, have left Beijing and Seoul locked in a war of words, with both sides summoning the other’s envoy.
04:39
Taiwan residents living within sight of mainland China voice concerns over live-fire drills
The People’s Liberation Army drills earlier this month came shortly after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California in defiance of warnings from Beijing, which called the talks a challenge to its sovereignty.
On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin called on South Korea to “abide by the one-China principle and handle the Taiwan issue prudently”.
The Korean peninsula and the Taiwan issues were “not comparable at all”, he said, adding that North and South Korea were sovereign states that were both members of the United Nations.
Wang’s comments drew a swift backlash from Seoul. Summoning Chinese ambassador Xing Haiming hours later, South Korean First Vice Foreign minister Chang Ho-jin said Wang’s remarks were “rude” and amounted to a “serious diplomatic discourtesy”.
But Beijing doubled down on Friday, saying the South Korean foreign ministry’s comments were “erroneous” and China had lodged its own concerns on the issue.
