By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye observing China's military parade will not adversely affect ties between Seoul and Washington, U.S. experts said, Thursday.
On Wednesday night, Cheong Wa Dae announced that Park plans to attend the Sept. 3 military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The parade has extra significance, given that the event is aimed at showing off China's growing military capabilities that may draw complaints from the United States, which is vying with China for regional hegemony. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not be present.
"The U.S. is perfectly fine with Park's trip to China, and probably has no strong feeling about attending the military parade," said Van Jackson, who served as a policy advisor at the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Leon Sigal, the director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project at the Social Science Research Council, also said that the U.S. will understand Korea's position.
"The administration's policy is one of engagement coupled with alliance maintenance," Sigal said. "It understands South Korea's interest in a firm alliance with Washington while reaching out to Beijing."
Ahead of Park's decision, there was wide speculation that she was likely to attend the parade, given strong Sino-Korea ties in growing bilateral economic cooperation. China is Korea's No. 1 trading partner.
In addition, Beijing is regarded as the only country to exert influence on Pyongyang.
Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said in Wednesday's statement that China's potential role in the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula also factored into the decision.
The U.S. government said Wednesday that it respects Park's decision to attend the military parade.
"Participation in these events is the sovereign decision of each country. We respect the Republic of Korea's decision," the State Department said.
The U.S. will dispatch its ambassador to China to the war anniversary event instead of sending a high-ranking government official in an apparent expression of unhappiness.
Although Park's decision is acceptable in the U.S., analysts question Korea's pursuit of balanced diplomacy between the U.S. and China behind the idea that Beijing is emerging as a rival to Washington in Northeast Asia.
"Given the fragility of China's domestic politics and economy, it doesn't seem like betting on China is very smart over the longer-term," said Jackson, also a visiting fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
"Some in Korea, especially the 386 generation, see China's rise as inevitable and have tried to advocate for policies that treat China as a future regional hegemony. I think it's far too premature to make that kind of policy investment, however. China has questionable economic fundamentals that are exacerbated by inconsistent and opaque economic governance.
"I think it's imprudent to treat China like it's a true great power before it actually is."
Sean King, an East Asia specialist with the Park Strategies consulting firm in New York, also said that Park's trip is unfortunate as Beijing's modern day role as Pyongyang's enabler and guarantor of last resort is why Korea remains divided.
"What's more, China forcibly repatriates North Korean refugees who face certain imprisonment, or worse, at home," King said.
Park's office also said that the decision to observe the parade is affected by China's contribution to Korea's independence movement against Japanese colonial rule.
King refuted the reference, saying that China's communists came to power four years after the end of World War II.
"Who is Xi to claim victory over Imperial Japan? If anything, Park should be toasting China's displaced Nationalist government that's now on Taiwan," he said.
President Park Geun-hye observing China's military parade will not adversely affect ties between Seoul and Washington, U.S. experts said, Thursday.
On Wednesday night, Cheong Wa Dae announced that Park plans to attend the Sept. 3 military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The parade has extra significance, given that the event is aimed at showing off China's growing military capabilities that may draw complaints from the United States, which is vying with China for regional hegemony. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not be present.
"The U.S. is perfectly fine with Park's trip to China, and probably has no strong feeling about attending the military parade," said Van Jackson, who served as a policy advisor at the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Leon Sigal, the director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project at the Social Science Research Council, also said that the U.S. will understand Korea's position.
"The administration's policy is one of engagement coupled with alliance maintenance," Sigal said. "It understands South Korea's interest in a firm alliance with Washington while reaching out to Beijing."
Ahead of Park's decision, there was wide speculation that she was likely to attend the parade, given strong Sino-Korea ties in growing bilateral economic cooperation. China is Korea's No. 1 trading partner.
In addition, Beijing is regarded as the only country to exert influence on Pyongyang.
Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said in Wednesday's statement that China's potential role in the peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula also factored into the decision.
The U.S. government said Wednesday that it respects Park's decision to attend the military parade.
"Participation in these events is the sovereign decision of each country. We respect the Republic of Korea's decision," the State Department said.
The U.S. will dispatch its ambassador to China to the war anniversary event instead of sending a high-ranking government official in an apparent expression of unhappiness.
Although Park's decision is acceptable in the U.S., analysts question Korea's pursuit of balanced diplomacy between the U.S. and China behind the idea that Beijing is emerging as a rival to Washington in Northeast Asia.
"Given the fragility of China's domestic politics and economy, it doesn't seem like betting on China is very smart over the longer-term," said Jackson, also a visiting fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
"Some in Korea, especially the 386 generation, see China's rise as inevitable and have tried to advocate for policies that treat China as a future regional hegemony. I think it's far too premature to make that kind of policy investment, however. China has questionable economic fundamentals that are exacerbated by inconsistent and opaque economic governance.
"I think it's imprudent to treat China like it's a true great power before it actually is."
Sean King, an East Asia specialist with the Park Strategies consulting firm in New York, also said that Park's trip is unfortunate as Beijing's modern day role as Pyongyang's enabler and guarantor of last resort is why Korea remains divided.
"What's more, China forcibly repatriates North Korean refugees who face certain imprisonment, or worse, at home," King said.
Park's office also said that the decision to observe the parade is affected by China's contribution to Korea's independence movement against Japanese colonial rule.
King refuted the reference, saying that China's communists came to power four years after the end of World War II.
"Who is Xi to claim victory over Imperial Japan? If anything, Park should be toasting China's displaced Nationalist government that's now on Taiwan," he said.
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