By Jun Ji-hye
Korea appears to be leaning toward the U.S. in the conflict over the South China Sea, subtly shifting away from its neutral stance, analysts said Friday.
The speculation was sparked by Defense Minister Han Min-Koo's remarks Wednesday that freedom of navigation is crucial in the South China Sea. His remarks came during a speech at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) held in Malaysia.
Also present at the event were U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, China's Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani. It was the first time that a high-ranking government official has openly expressed such a stance at a multilateral conference.
The government has so far taken a neutral position in the conflict involving its ally Washington and its biggest trade partner Beijing, only remarking that the friction should be resolved in accordance with international norms.
The South China Sea dispute, an ongoing security issue in the Asia-Pacific region, concerns China's claim over territorial waters around new manmade islands. The maritime conflict was escalated recently after a U.S. Navy vessel came close to China's artificial islands, triggering warnings from Beijing and leading to a diplomatic spat.
Han said, "The Republic of Korea's position is that maritime conflict in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international norms, and freedom of navigation should be guaranteed."
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said that Han took a step forward when mentioning not only "international norms" but also "freedom of navigation."
"His remark can be construed as siding with Washington," Yang said. "The government has so far refrained from making direct comments about issues involving the U.S. and China as there is need for Seoul to be balanced between the two nations."
Han's remark, which showed a subtle yet clear change from the government's existing position, drew keen attention especially because it came after U.S. President Barack Obama called on his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye during their summit last month, asking her to raise Seoul's voice when Beijing does not comply with international norms, apparently bearing the maritime conflict in mind.
Han made a similar remark at a joint news conference with his U.S. counterpart Carter after the allies' annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on Monday.
An official from the Ministry of National Defense said on the condition of anonymity, "Han's sympathies regarding the South China Sea conflict lay with Carter and he shared that with other countries during the ADMM-Plus."
Yang said, however, that Han's remark could develop into a diplomatic blunder.
"China has yet to raise a formal protest against the remark, but it could be a cause for damaging Seoul-Beijing relations, which have been in good shape under the Park Geun-hye government," he said.
He added that the question still remains about how Seoul would respond if Washington and Beijing were to engage in a military conflict in the South China Sea.
"In that case, Japan would dispatch its forces there in accordance with the Tokyo-Washington alliance," he said.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
Korea appears to be leaning toward the U.S. in the conflict over the South China Sea, subtly shifting away from its neutral stance, analysts said Friday.
The speculation was sparked by Defense Minister Han Min-Koo's remarks Wednesday that freedom of navigation is crucial in the South China Sea. His remarks came during a speech at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) held in Malaysia.
Also present at the event were U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, China's Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani. It was the first time that a high-ranking government official has openly expressed such a stance at a multilateral conference.
The government has so far taken a neutral position in the conflict involving its ally Washington and its biggest trade partner Beijing, only remarking that the friction should be resolved in accordance with international norms.
The South China Sea dispute, an ongoing security issue in the Asia-Pacific region, concerns China's claim over territorial waters around new manmade islands. The maritime conflict was escalated recently after a U.S. Navy vessel came close to China's artificial islands, triggering warnings from Beijing and leading to a diplomatic spat.
Han said, "The Republic of Korea's position is that maritime conflict in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully in accordance with international norms, and freedom of navigation should be guaranteed."
Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said that Han took a step forward when mentioning not only "international norms" but also "freedom of navigation."
"His remark can be construed as siding with Washington," Yang said. "The government has so far refrained from making direct comments about issues involving the U.S. and China as there is need for Seoul to be balanced between the two nations."
Han's remark, which showed a subtle yet clear change from the government's existing position, drew keen attention especially because it came after U.S. President Barack Obama called on his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye during their summit last month, asking her to raise Seoul's voice when Beijing does not comply with international norms, apparently bearing the maritime conflict in mind.
Han made a similar remark at a joint news conference with his U.S. counterpart Carter after the allies' annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) on Monday.
An official from the Ministry of National Defense said on the condition of anonymity, "Han's sympathies regarding the South China Sea conflict lay with Carter and he shared that with other countries during the ADMM-Plus."
Yang said, however, that Han's remark could develop into a diplomatic blunder.
"China has yet to raise a formal protest against the remark, but it could be a cause for damaging Seoul-Beijing relations, which have been in good shape under the Park Geun-hye government," he said.
He added that the question still remains about how Seoul would respond if Washington and Beijing were to engage in a military conflict in the South China Sea.
"In that case, Japan would dispatch its forces there in accordance with the Tokyo-Washington alliance," he said.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
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