Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A recent poll in South Korea indicates that China is seen as the main threat to peace on the Korean peninsula.
In the survey conducted by Gallup Korea between 12 July and 3 August, 46 per cent of respondents viewed China as “the most threatening country to peace on the Korean peninsula”, well up from 17 per cent last year. North Korea comes in second at 33 per cent, well down from 64 per cent a year before.
In geopolitical terms, China “does not want inter-Korean reunification”, according to 91 per cent of respondents, compared with 90, 88 and 53 per cent for Japan, Russia and the United States respectively.
For Choi Gyu-bin, senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies (IPUS) at Seoul National University, the dispute over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, a US anti-ballistic missile defence system deployed in South Korean territory since 2016, is the main factor.
China sees it a direct threat to its own security, whilst many analysts see it as a challenge to its supremacy in East Asia.
After South Korea signed up for THAAD, China began a boycott to stop Chinese tourists from travelling to South Korea, which cost the latter 7.5 trillion won (US$ 6.7 billion) in lost revenues.
The Chinese government also targeted the Seoul-based multinational conglomerate Lotte – which had agreed to provide land for THAAD – by fining it for its advertising practices and shutting down a large number of its supermarkets in China for fire regulation violations.
With respect to the US-China trade war, 53 per cent of respondents believe South Korea should maintain a “neutral” position during the escalation of the US-China conflict. Conversely, 39 per cent believe that it must improve cooperation only with Washington whilst 8 per cent think it should do the same with Beijing.
