Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Park's seating showcases closer relations
President Park Geun-hye, right, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, third from right, and his wife Peng Liyuan, second from right, attends a reception in Beijing, Thursday, after reviewing a massive military parade marking the 70th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. / Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
President Park Geun-hye’s seating at the parade of 12,000 People’s Liberation Army soldiers in Tiananmen Square, Thursday, symbolized South Korea’s closer ties with China.
Park’s presence alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping at the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is seen as a sign that China is viewing the South as its closest Korean partner amid strained Beijing-Pyongyang relations.
During the event, Park stood second on the right to Xi after Russian President Vladimir Putin. To Xi’s left were former Chinese leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao and representatives of the Chinese government.
Park’s presence at the Tiananmen Rostrum shows that Korea is starting to free itself from its Cold War mentality.
North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-sung had stood on the same podium twice. In 1954, Kim stood with Chinese leader Mao Zedong for the 5th anniversary of the People's Republic of China's founding, and in 1959 with Premier Zhou Enlai for the 10th anniversary. China showed respect for Kim, who was viewed by China as a partner in the anti-Japanese campaign and the Communist revolution.
Some 60 years later, Park stood on the same podium where Mao, founding father of the People's Republic of China, declared the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949.
China and South Korea were former foes. Mao's China and the Soviet Union had supported the North's invasion of the South in 1950, launching the Korean War.
Park wore a yellow jacket, the color that signifies prestige and good luck in Chinese culture. Yellow was the emperor's color in Imperial China, often used to decorate royal palaces, altars and temples, and in the robes and attire of the emperors.
She is the only female head of state among some 30 dignitaries in Beijing for the World War II commemorations, including Putin and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Secretary of the North’s Workers’ Party Choi Ryong-hae, leader of the North Korean delegation, stood at the very end of the dignitaries' line to Xi's right. Park and Choi did not have a chance to meet, a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said.
Park wore sunglasses while observing the parade and remained seated throughout the event, while Putin and Xi stood up to clap several times.
Park arrived at the square around 9:30 a.m. During a photo session, Park stood to Xi's left with XI's wife Peng Liyuan in between. “That she got a front row seat during the parade shows China's regard for her and reflects our heightened status,” a Cheong Was Dae official said.
Her seating arrangements remained undisclosed until the last minute.
Xi began the proceedings with a speech at the iconic Tiananmen Gate, saying “total victory” over Japan “restored China's status as a major country in the world.”
The spectacle involved more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military hardware and 200 aircraft of various types, representing China’s advanced military technology.