By Yi Whan-woo
South Korea faces a tougher job in striking a balance between security and economic interest amid escalating rivalry between the United States and China, analysts said Wednesday.
Beijing is protesting an agreement between Seoul and Washington to set up a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threats.
In addition, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), an international tribunal in The Hague, ruled against Beijing's claim to most of the disputed South China Sea, Tuesday. The ruling makes it problematic for China in its plan to expand its influence across the Asia-Pacific.
Seoul has to take its stance on the tricky issue during three international meetings scheduled for this month.
The three meetings are vice foreign ministerial talks among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan in Hawaii, Thursday, the Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit in Mongolia from Friday to Saturday, and foreign ministerial talks during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Laos, July 26.
Analysts said President Park Geun-hye, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam should pursue a two-track strategy of handling security and economic issues in their scheduled meetings.
The strategy will be critical for Seoul to ensure its security alliance with the U.S. while maintaining business ties with China, South Korea's largest trading partner.
President Park, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will join other heads of state and other high-level officials from 51 countries at the ASEM summit in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
Yun and five other foreign ministers ― from the six-party talks nations aimed at North Korea's denuclearization ― are expected to join the ARF along with ASEAN-member states.
Lim will meet U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki in Honolulu after they last met in Tokyo in January.
"We must make political and economic issues separate to end the dispute concerning THAAD between the U.S. and China," said Kim Ki-soo, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.
"We also should make it clear to China that our decision to deploy THAAD was for our national security, nothing more or less."
Park Won-gon, an international-relations professor at Handong University, agreed.
"Our leaders should be concise in making their points with their counterparts that THAAD is exclusively to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," he said. "At the same time, we should ensure that we'll remove THAAD if North Korea no longer poses a threat on the Korean Peninsula."
He also advocated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' deal with the PCA ruling.
The ministry has said South Korea expects territorial disputes in the South China Sea to be settled through "peaceful and creative diplomatic efforts" in line with international regulations and relevant agreements.
It said Seoul has consistently maintained the view that the dispute should be resolved in accordance with relevant agreements and international regulations.
The ministry also reaffirmed its position that peace, stability and freedom of navigation and flight should be guaranteed in the area that is a key maritime trade route.
"We should make clear we'll remain neutral and will respect the tribunal's decision regardless of the U.S.-China rivalry," Park said.
A researcher said China is unlikely to take retaliatory measures against South Korea even if it judges that Seoul is taking sides with Washington.
"Such possible punitive measures will hurt Beijing as much as they will Seoul," the researcher said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Park said Seoul should refrain from holding a trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo at the ASEM summit and ARF.
"Such a meeting may provoke North Korea, China and Russia amid concerns over a new Cold War in the region and weaken international sanctions against Pyongyang," he said.
South Korea faces a tougher job in striking a balance between security and economic interest amid escalating rivalry between the United States and China, analysts said Wednesday.
Beijing is protesting an agreement between Seoul and Washington to set up a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea to counter North Korea's missile threats.
In addition, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), an international tribunal in The Hague, ruled against Beijing's claim to most of the disputed South China Sea, Tuesday. The ruling makes it problematic for China in its plan to expand its influence across the Asia-Pacific.
Seoul has to take its stance on the tricky issue during three international meetings scheduled for this month.
The three meetings are vice foreign ministerial talks among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan in Hawaii, Thursday, the Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit in Mongolia from Friday to Saturday, and foreign ministerial talks during the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Laos, July 26.
Analysts said President Park Geun-hye, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam should pursue a two-track strategy of handling security and economic issues in their scheduled meetings.
The strategy will be critical for Seoul to ensure its security alliance with the U.S. while maintaining business ties with China, South Korea's largest trading partner.
President Park, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will join other heads of state and other high-level officials from 51 countries at the ASEM summit in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
Yun and five other foreign ministers ― from the six-party talks nations aimed at North Korea's denuclearization ― are expected to join the ARF along with ASEAN-member states.
Lim will meet U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki in Honolulu after they last met in Tokyo in January.
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"We must make political and economic issues separate to end the dispute concerning THAAD between the U.S. and China," said Kim Ki-soo, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute.
"We also should make it clear to China that our decision to deploy THAAD was for our national security, nothing more or less."
Park Won-gon, an international-relations professor at Handong University, agreed.
"Our leaders should be concise in making their points with their counterparts that THAAD is exclusively to deal with North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," he said. "At the same time, we should ensure that we'll remove THAAD if North Korea no longer poses a threat on the Korean Peninsula."
He also advocated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' deal with the PCA ruling.
The ministry has said South Korea expects territorial disputes in the South China Sea to be settled through "peaceful and creative diplomatic efforts" in line with international regulations and relevant agreements.
It said Seoul has consistently maintained the view that the dispute should be resolved in accordance with relevant agreements and international regulations.
The ministry also reaffirmed its position that peace, stability and freedom of navigation and flight should be guaranteed in the area that is a key maritime trade route.
"We should make clear we'll remain neutral and will respect the tribunal's decision regardless of the U.S.-China rivalry," Park said.
A researcher said China is unlikely to take retaliatory measures against South Korea even if it judges that Seoul is taking sides with Washington.
"Such possible punitive measures will hurt Beijing as much as they will Seoul," the researcher said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Park said Seoul should refrain from holding a trilateral meeting with Washington and Tokyo at the ASEM summit and ARF.
"Such a meeting may provoke North Korea, China and Russia amid concerns over a new Cold War in the region and weaken international sanctions against Pyongyang," he said.
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