{"id":2201173,"date":"2023-05-26T20:00:25","date_gmt":"2023-05-26T11:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201173"},"modified":"2023-05-26T20:02:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T11:02:42","slug":"why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s recent comments to <\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/i> about the possibility of Seoul providing weapons to Ukraine attracted significant attention and commentary among ROK media. But it was his comments on Taiwan in the <\/span>same interview<\/span><\/a> that caught Beijing\u2019s eye \u2014 and drew its ire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North Korea, it is a global issue,\u201d Yoon said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to his comments, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson <\/span>told reporters<\/span><\/a> that \u201cThe issue of the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan question are completely different in nature, cause and history and cannot be mentioned in the same breath.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>diplomatic<\/span><\/a> clash<\/span><\/a> has reflected how much ROK-China relations have deteriorated over the past year and it is worth considering whether Yoon\u2019s actions are placing South Korea in a precarious situation or if staying silent on the Taiwan issue would have been even riskier. As South Korea aligns more closely with the U.S. and other democracies, it faces new challenges and potential consequences in its relations with China.<\/span><\/p>\n

During his presidential campaign, Yoon Suk-yeol <\/span>capitalized<\/span><\/a> on South Koreans\u2019 growing disapproval of China. Though his candidacy indicated a preference for closer ties with the U.S., there remained ample room to improve relations with Beijing. China continued to hold importance for Seoul as an export market, a stabilizing force that constrains North Korea and a strategic hedge against overreliance on the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the early days of his presidency, despite his campaign rhetoric, Yoon demonstrated a <\/span>willingness to cooperate<\/span><\/a> with China. He <\/span>initially backtracked<\/span><\/a> on pledges to expand the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and <\/span>protected<\/span><\/a> Chinese access to South Korean semiconductors, even in the face of U.S. pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

He went so far as to <\/span>ignore<\/span><\/a> then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when she made a stopover in Seoul following her high-profile visit to Taiwan in Aug. 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

A year since he assumed office, the political landscape has shifted dramatically. China\u2019s economic growth, once robust, ground to a halt in late 2022, as did Chinese imports from the ROK. In 2020, the ROK enjoyed a <\/span>$23.7 billion trade surplus<\/span><\/a> with China; however, the first two months of 2023 saw a <\/span>deficit of $5.1 billion<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Koreans\u2019 popular opinion of China has similarly worsened: A Pew Research poll from September last year revealed that <\/span>80% of South Koreans<\/span><\/a> now disapprove of China, up from <\/span>63% in 2019<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Any cooperation Yoon <\/span>hoped to gain<\/span><\/a> from Chinese leader Xi Jinping regarding North Korea has failed to materialize. After launching a <\/span>record number of missiles<\/span><\/a> in 2022, the DPRK escalated tensions further by testing a <\/span>solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile<\/span><\/a> on April 14.<\/span><\/p>\n

While North Korean threats and South Korean public opinion have solidified strong U.S.-ROK relations, China\u2019s faltering imports and <\/span>persistent dismissiveness<\/span><\/a> have pushed Yoon closer to Washington. This development is to China\u2019s detriment: Korean companies, long in <\/span>exodus from China<\/span><\/a>, are <\/span>constructing factories<\/span><\/a> in the U.S., America is deploying <\/span>nuclear-armed submarines<\/span><\/a> to Korea and Seoul is becoming increasingly vocal about Taiwan.<\/span><\/p>\n

LIBERATED FROM BEIJING?<\/b><\/p>\n

Since the ROK and the People\u2019s Republic of China normalized diplomatic relations, diplomacy and cooperation on North Korea had propped up bilateral relations, with trade as the third leg of this proverbial stool. Yet, this balance has begun to falter.<\/span><\/p>\n

As South Korea\u2019s reliance on exports to China diminishes, Seoul\u2019s foreign policy finds greater freedom to align more closely with the nation\u2019s democratic values and to seek an effective approach to North Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the past two decades, the ROK has strived to maintain a strategic equilibrium between the U.S. and its allies on the one hand and China on the other. However, the U.S. now favors tighter relations between South Korea, Japan and Australia. Meanwhile, South Koreans are growing <\/span>increasingly critical<\/span><\/a> of China’s human rights record, making it increasingly difficult for Seoul to triangulate.<\/span><\/p>\n

With China wielding less trade leverage than before, Yoon is at liberty to pursue closer relations with Japan and to engage with Kim Jong Un somewhat independently of Beijing. Moreover, recognizing that it has less to lose economically by angering China, the ROK is partnering more confidently with the U.S. This shift also serves to insulate South Korea should China\u2019s economy fail to regain its previous pace of growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping, June 21, 2019 | Image: Rodong Sinmun<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

PERSISTENT CHALLENGES<\/b><\/p>\n

However, China still wields significant leverage in critical exports to South Korea. For instance, the ROK <\/span>relies heavily on China<\/span><\/a> for integrated circuits \u2014 essential building blocks of semiconductors. Should China decide to curtail exports of integrated circuits to South Korea \u2014 as it <\/span>halted<\/span><\/a> shipments of rare earth elements in Japan in 2010 \u2014 it could threaten the ROK\u2019s standing as a global leader in semiconductor production.<\/span><\/p>\n

Moreover, while China may be unwilling or unable to rein in North Korea\u2019s bellicose behavior, it could undoubtedly exacerbate the situation for South Korea. While Beijing might stop short of encouraging Pyongyang to resume nuclear tests, it could provide cover for North Korean border strikes or cyberattacks against targets in the South.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, while South Korea\u2019s balancing act between the U.S. and China might have been unsustainable, it offered undeniable benefits while it lasted. The ROK managed to punch above its weight diplomatically by avoiding overreliance on the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, Seoul simultaneously negotiated free trade agreements with Washington and Beijing, guided then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un from \u201cfire and fury\u201d rhetoric to face-to-face meetings in just a few months, and occasionally <\/span>bridged the gap<\/span><\/a> between China and Japan. By aligning as closely as it has with the U.S., South Korea will likely find itself with less independence from Washington and Tokyo in its engagements with North Korea and the wider world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Such a shift will inevitably have political repercussions for Yoon Suk-yeol, who remains <\/span>deeply unpopular<\/span><\/a> domestically. Despite their criticisms of China, some South Koreans harbor <\/span>wariness<\/span><\/a> toward the U.S. and advocate an independent foreign policy. Drawing closer to Tokyo will also likely further weaken his party\u2019s standing with a significant number of voters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/b><\/p>\n

Although worsening ROK-China relations may have contributed to Beijing\u2019s vitriolic response to Yoon\u2019s remarks on Taiwan, it is the strengthening U.S.-ROK alliance that primarily motivates China\u2019s ire. From Beijing\u2019s perspective, Yoon\u2019s comments imply a willingness to support Taiwan militarily in concert with the U.S. in the event of a Chinese invasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Increasingly, China is shunning U.S. allies in favor of nations perceived as <\/span>pro-China or neutral<\/span><\/a> and consolidating its <\/span>diplomatic efforts<\/span><\/a> in the Middle East. While it seems unlikely that Yoon would attempt any meaningful re-engagement with China, even if he tried, it would likely yield few advantages.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, as South Korea aligns more closely with the U.S., it will become increasingly difficult for the ROK to avoid involvement in a conflict between China and the U.S., its allies, or Taiwan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>worst-case scenario<\/span><\/a> envisions a Chinese invasion of Taiwan accompanied by North Korean military aggression against the South. In light of this possibility, Yoon\u2019s framing of Taiwan as a global issue aims to deter China.<\/span><\/p>\n

Should ROK-China ties continue on this trajectory, deterrence may become South Korea\u2019s sole option against such threats, with potentially unintended consequences. While South Korea recently reaffirmed its commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty through the <\/span>Washington Declaration<\/span><\/a>, a future South Korean president might once again contemplate <\/span>developing nuclear weapons<\/span><\/a> if ROK-China relations worsen \u2014 a move that would undoubtedly anger Washington and Beijing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Defense & Security<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s recent comments to Reuters about the possibility of Seoul providing weapons to Ukraine attracted significant attention and commentary among ROK media. But it was his comments on Taiwan in the same interview that caught Beijing\u2019s eye \u2014 and drew its ire. \u201cThe Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2201174,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[26,28],"class_list":["post-2201173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-defense-security","tag-inter-korean-foreign-relations"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s recent comments to Reuters about the possibility of Seoul providing weapons to Ukraine attracted significant attention and commentary among ROK media. But it was his comments on Taiwan in the same interview that caught Beijing\u2019s eye \u2014 and drew its ire. \u201cThe Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-26T11:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-26T11:02:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1870\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"johnleenknews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Petrushka\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"johnleenknews\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d\"},\"headline\":\"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-26T11:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-26T11:02:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\"},\"wordCount\":1299,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Defense & Security\",\"Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\",\"name\":\"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-26T11:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-26T11:02:42+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png\",\"width\":1870,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy - KOREA PRO","og_description":"South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s recent comments to Reuters about the possibility of Seoul providing weapons to Ukraine attracted significant attention and commentary among ROK media. But it was his comments on Taiwan in the same interview that caught Beijing\u2019s eye \u2014 and drew its ire. \u201cThe Taiwan issue is not simply an issue between […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2023-05-26T11:00:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-26T11:02:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1870,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"johnleenknews","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Petrushka","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/"},"author":{"name":"johnleenknews","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/b9766dba611638edc06a6e0b7078714d"},"headline":"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy","datePublished":"2023-05-26T11:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-26T11:02:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/"},"wordCount":1299,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png","keywords":["Defense & Security","Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/","name":"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png","datePublished":"2023-05-26T11:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-26T11:02:42+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/assets.korearisk.com\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2023\/05\/Untitled-design-23.png","width":1870,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/why-china-is-the-elephant-in-the-room-for-south-koreas-foreign-policy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why China is the elephant in the room for South Korea\u2019s foreign policy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201173"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10407"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2201173"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2201176,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201173\/revisions\/2201176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2201174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2201173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2201173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2201173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}