Is pro-US ex-general fit for China job?
By Jun Ji-hye
Kim Jang-soo
Kim Jang-soo, who is expected to be named ambassador to China, has spent most of his professional life in a South Korean Army that is under U.S. influence.
If put into the context of the U.S.-China rivalry, it could mean that Kim, former chief of the National Security Office (NSO) of the presidential office, takes a hawkish view on China and its leadership, some detractors say.
The U.S. move to station its missile interceptor, or THAAD, could be the first test for Kim. China and Russia together with North Korea are strongly opposed to its deployment.
Opposition lawmakers and some critics voiced concerns that maintaining stable relations with Beijing requires a high level of diplomatic skills, but Kim is not a professional diplomat. They also raised the possibility that Kim, a former soldier who has maintained a hard line on North Korea, would experience conflict with China, the isolated state’s only major ally.
“He is not a China specialist and does not have any ties with the country, either,” said Rep. Yoo Eun-hae, a spokeswoman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD). “It is doubtful he is the right man to solve various issues involving Beijing-Seoul relations smoothly at such a critical time.”
Kim is the first former military man named as an envoy to China since Seoul established diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1992. In most cases, diplomats have assumed the position.
Critics question how he will deal with China, which has complained about the United States’ alleged efforts to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile battery on South Korean soil.
As the defense shield is ostensibly intended to neutralize North Korean ballistic missiles, the South Korean military has not necessarily been opposed to the deployment, with Defense Minister Han Min-koo saying the deployment will help better deter threats from the reclusive state.
But Beijing feels vulnerable due to the radar system alone, as it could potentially snoop on its radar. The country, along with Russia, has claimed that deployment would spark tensions in Northeast Asia.
Observers say that military personnel tend to put more weight on the Seoul-Washington alliance than Seoul-Beijing relations when handling threats from the repressive state, and that might be the case for Kim too.
“A soldier always sticks to principles and rules. One of their main missions is to remove the enemy. A soldier’s world is like ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” Lee Yung-hyeock of Konkuk University said. “But the diplomatic sector is not like that. It requires flexibility. So, it remains to be seen whether Kim’s background as a soldier can help him play a positive role with China.”
Other critics pointed out that Kim was sacked from the NSO for making improper remarks about the Sewol ferry disaster in April. At the time, he said the presidential office was not a control tower dealing with disasters, sparking controversy over his apparent evasion of responsibility.
“The appointment could be misleading, that President Park paid Kim back for his attempt to protect the government back then,” lawyer and political commentator Sohn Soo-ho told reporters.
The largest opposition party urged Park to review Kim’s nomination.
Meanwhile, Kim Youl-soo, a professor of international political science at Sungshin Women’s University, said Kim is a well-qualified person to resolve many difficult issues as he is a specialist in national security issues and knows well the importance of relations between Seoul and Beijing.
“He will be able to mobilize many personnel connections to solve pending issues,” he said. “It is inappropriate to prejudge his capability simply because he was a soldier.”
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye