Korea pressured by Taipei, Beijing over labeling of Taiwan

A man walks past Taiwanese flags on a street in Taipei amid China's "Justice Mission 2025" military drills around Taiwan, Dec. 29, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap

Korea is receiving pressures from two countries over the labeling of Taiwan, with the Taiwanese government requesting it be treated independently from China in official documents.

Meanwhile, Beijing is asking Seoul to maintain its “One China” principle, which considers Taiwan as part of China.

Taiwan had earlier warned the Korean government that it will change the name of the “Republic of Korea” to “South Korea” in its own electronic arrival card in a reciprocal move unless Korea stops listing Taiwan as “China(Taiwan)” in its electronic arrival card dropdown menus.

The Taiwanese government said it had already changed the country name from the “Republic of Korea” to “South Korea” on the foreign resident cards of South Korean nationals living in Taiwan.

An image of Korea's e-arrival card / Captured from Korea e-arrival card website

This comes after the Korean government launched its e-arrival card system on Feb. 24, 2025 to expedite entry into the country. In the electronic system, Taiwanese nationals are forced to select “China(Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” sections.

The Taiwanese government has been issuing complaints over the labeling since December last year amid a deepening diplomatic rift with China over its territory.

When asked to about this, Korea's foreign ministry only said the government is closely discussing the situation with the Taiwanese government and relevant government agencies in Korea and finding ways to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, China is pressuring Korea to maintain its “One China” policy.

“We believe the ROK will continue to adhere to the One China principle, which is clearly stated in the China-ROK joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and will handle the Taiwan question accordingly,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a press briefing Thursday.

A Korean government official who requested anonymity, however, said Korea may not be affected much by the Taiwan’s move.

“Taiwan’s complaints came at an unexpected time as the e-arrival system was introduced a year ago and the foreign resident card in Korea has been using 'China(Taiwan)' since 2004,” the official said.

The official raised speculation that certain political groups need to gather supporters domestically before the upcoming local election in Taiwan in November.

A statement by Taiwan's foreign ministry on Korea labeling Taiwan as "China(Taiwan)" / Captured from Taiwan's foreign ministry website

Koreans showed mixed reactions — with some paying no mind to having "Republic of Korea" changed to "South Korea," while others believe Korea should respect other countries.

“It is okay to be called South Korea,” many online comments wrote.

A popular comment on Naver, however, said: “Korea should respect other countries in a way it wants to be respected. Korea should not complain about the East Sea issue if it wants to label Taiwan as China(Taiwan). Korea should be emphathetic about the situation.”

Taiwanese nationals also have mixed reactions over the situation.

An insurance agent worker, who declined to be named, told The Korea Times: “No feelings. It's an international reality.”

But an office worker said, “Most countries still recognize Taiwan's distinct status for entry and exit, so South Korea’s choice to list us as part of China feels like a purely political move that’s hard to wrap my head around.”

Korea Times reporter Jung Da-hyun contributed to this report.