Korea unlikely to send official delegation to Taiwan's presidential inauguration

Taiwan President-elect Lai Ching-te waves during a press conference in Taipei, Jan. 13, following his election victory. Reuters-Yonhap

The Korean government is unlikely to send an official delegation to the upcoming inauguration of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, which appears to be a cautious step to manage its relations with Beijing.

According to multiple government officials who spoke to The Korea Times on Thursday, the Korean government is set to make an announcement regarding the decision to send a delegation to the inauguration ceremony scheduled for Monday. However, the likelihood is "very high" that Seoul will not be represented by an official delegation.

“The government has yet to make a final decision on the plan, but it is reasonable to think that there won’t be many differences from past precedents," a senior official said.

In 2016 when Lai’s predecessor Tsai Ing-wen took office, Cho Baek-sang, then-representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei, along with four lawmakers including Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, who heads the Korea-Taiwan Korea Parliamentary Friendship Association, attended the ceremony as an unofficial delegation.

This time, Cho plans to make another four-day visit to Taiwan accompanied by other lawmakers to meet with ranking Taiwanese government officials, including Lai and Tsai.

A foreign ministry official also said the government has not yet finalized a specific plan, but chances are high that the representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei will attend the ceremony as the only Korean government official along with several lawmakers.

Then-Representative of Korean Mission in Taipei Cho Baek-sang, left, takes a selfie with his wife during the inauguration ceremony of President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, May 20, 2016. Courtesy of Korean Mission in Taipei

Despite the growing economic partnership with Taiwan, Korea has been refraining from reinstating diplomatic ties with Taiwan that were severed in 1992 when it established diplomatic relations with China, in respect of Beijing’s “One China” policy.

Due to this, sending a delegation to Taiwan’s political ceremony has been one of the conundrums for Korean diplomacy, and the implication of the delegation has grown significantly in recent years amid the rivalry between the United States and China.

Despite Seoul's adherence to the One China policy, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has displayed a pronounced diplomatic alignment with Washington regarding issues concerning Taiwan. Yoon has reaffirmed in media interviews that Seoul opposes any attempts to alter the status quo by force in reference to tensions in the Taiwan Strait and his statements sparked discontent from China.

More recently, however, the Yoon administration is making efforts to improve its relations with China, exemplified by a ministerial meeting and a trilateral summit involving Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing. And such efforts appear to align with the government’s cautious approach in announcing its decision about the delegation to Taiwan's inauguration ceremony.

On Monday, Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul had a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, marking the first trip to China by a South Korean top diplomat in more than six years.

While the meeting did not result in an immediate and tangible outcome between the two countries, it was widely accepted as an important step in managing bilateral relations, which have soured amid the deepening U.S.-China rivalry and Seoul's increasing alignment with Washington.

Cho told reporters Tuesday that “the two countries agreed to create new momentum for the future development of Korea-China relations, while acknowledging their differences,” and “this is the most important agreement” of the meeting.

Sending a delegation to Taiwan is also expected to affect the envisaged trilateral summit. The summit is rumored to take place on May 26 in Seoul, but the three governments have yet to officially announce the exact schedule.

Private watchers suggest saying that whether Korea will honor its commitment to the One China policy or decide to send a delegation to Taiwan will affect the trilateral summit and the possibility of holding bilateral talks between Seoul and China on the sidelines of the summit. Thus, China wants to be assured there will be no Korean delegation in Taiwan before announcing the schedule for the trilateral summit.

When asked about the reasons for delays in announcing the schedule for the trilateral summit, a separate senior government official told The Korea Times that “everything is on the right track, but taking time because the three countries have to announce the schedule simultaneously,” adding it will take several days until the announcement comes out.