Photo: Courtesy of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

When asked to comment on media reports that said South Korean leader once again brought out China-related topics during the impeachment trial over martial law at the Constitutional Court, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that at the outset of the emergency martial law situation late last year, the South Korea had already made similar remarks, and China had stated its solemn position.

"China consistently adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs and believes that the South Korean people have the wisdom and capability to handle their domestic issues. We express strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to certain forces and individuals in South Korea who continue to maliciously link and hype China-related issues for political gains," Lin said at Friday's press briefing.

The remarks were in response to media reports that said in final statements made at his impeachment trial on February 25, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has once again brought out topics related to China, claiming that Chinese nationals using drones threatened South Korea's security, the country's crucial semiconductor technology was leaked to China and the former South Korean government leaked documents related to the THAAD deployment to China.

We have noted that recently, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the South Korea-China Parliamentarians' Union have both publicly emphasized the importance of developing China-South Korea relations. Some South Korean media and insightful individuals have also expressed concerns about certain political forces manipulating issues related to China, which is eroding the foundation of public goodwill between the two countries, Lin said.

Throwing mud at neighbor does not solve its own problems, Lin stressed.

A healthy and stable China-South Korea relationship serves the common interests of both nations. We once again urge relevant South Korean individuals to stop fabricating and hyping false China-related narratives, cease smearing and attacking China, and refrain from politically exploiting China-related issues to avoid disrupting and undermining bilateral relations, said Lin.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing expressed his appreciation in a post on Tuesday for the statement issued by the South Korea-China Parliamentarians' Union. The Union called for resistance against false information related to China and anti-China sentiment while emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the friendly cooperation between China and South Korea.

Ambassador Dai noted that "we believe that, under the current circumstances, South Korea needs such rational voices. l am confident that the South Korean public can distinguish right from wrong. l also look forward to more objective and rational voices emerging from all sectors of South Korean society, working together to promote actions that benefit China-South Korea friendly cooperation."

Global Times