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| People Power Party Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Oct. 10. Joint Press Corps |
By Nam Hyun-woo
Ruling People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, Friday, slammed China's protest against a parliamentary delegation's visit to Taiwan, urging Beijing to stop its "presumptuous behavior" of "interfering in (South Korea's) domestic affairs."
"China should stop its presumptuous behavior toward South Korea's parliamentarian diplomacy, and rather make efforts for the peaceful resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue," Cho, the chairman of South Korea-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, wrote on Facebook.
His remarks came a day after the Chinese Embassy in Seoul lodged a protest against the delegation's visit to Taiwan from Dec. 28 to 31.
The delegation included Cho, Deputy National Assembly Speaker Chung Woo-taik of the PPP, PPP Rep. Lee Dal-gon and main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Won-wook. They met high-profile Taiwanese politicians, including President Tsai Ing-wen and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun.
Regarding their visit, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul said in a statement that the visit "violates the spirit of the joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Korea," and, "China expresses its firm opposition and strong protest."
The communique, which was signed in 1992 when the two countries formally established diplomatic relations, states that "the Republic of Korea recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and respects China's position that there is only one China and Taiwan belongs to China."
Cho also said that "this is not the behavior of a normal country" and "interference in (South Korea's) domestic affairs should not occur."
"Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming should immediately apologize for this ludicrous action," Cho said. "China should not argue about other countries' parliamentary diplomacy. Rather, it should resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and concentrate on establishing peace," he added.
Deputy Assembly Speaker Chung Woo-taik told the Korean-language Chosun Ilbo newspaper that "Members of the South Korea-Taiwan Friendship Association have been visiting Taiwan every year," and that it is "parliamentary diplomacy about which there is nothing problematic."
China has been sensitive to foreign countries' exchanges with Taiwan. In August last year, China conducted live-fire military drills in protest of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
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