Korea's dilemma deepens over joining US-led Quad network

A journalist takes a photo of a screen showing a live image of Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a speech at the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021 in Boao, Hainan province, April 20. AFP-Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

Korea may face tougher pressure from China to avoid joining a U.S.-led strategic group, as Beijing reportedly remains particularly concerned over Seoul's possible participation.

Citing diplomatic sources, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Saturday that Korea had received a number of inquiries from Chinese officials about whether it was considering joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or “Quad.” But the government here has so far said that there has been no invitation from Washington.

The report also said that Chinese diplomatic experts believe that if Korea were to join the Quad, it would be a significant challenge to China's security in East Asia, while referring to the alliance as an “anti-China coalition” in the region.

The Quad is a four-way strategic forum aimed at containing China, and is comprised of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. Washington wants to develop it into an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), by inviting New Zealand, Vietnam and Korea. Some media reports earlier this month claimed that Washington had “strongly requested” Seoul's participation ― although Cheong Wa Dae has denied such reports, saying that there has been no official request from the U.S. government on the matter.

Despite the presidential office's denial, diplomatic observers say that Seoul has been under growing pressure from the U.S. to join the Quad. But they also say that the South Korean government should take a flexible stance on the matter, because joining could become a thorny diplomatic issue between Seoul and Beijing. The Korean government has been reluctant to join the Quad due to China being Seoul's largest-trading partner.