Park Seung-chan, president of the Korea-China Association and professor at Yongin University, said in an exclusive interview with a China News Service reporter in Seoul that if the recent wave of extreme anti-China sentiment continues to spread in South Korea, it is bound to trigger comprehensive tensions in terms of social unity, diplomatic security, and the economy. Currently, South Korea should calmly reflect and reassess the global situation and national interests.
According to China News Service, in recent times, some Korean politicians have spread false information, and certain far-right groups have occasionally held demonstrations against China. Both China and South Korea have clearly expressed opposition to this.
On the 20th, Park Seung-chan published a signed article in the Korean media outlet Asia Economy and also gave an exclusive interview to China News Service. In his signed article, he pointed out that extreme anti-China sentiment will have a negative impact on South Korea's national interests.
Park Seung-chan stated that in recent discussions on the "anti-China" topic, partisan conflict within South Korea has been intensifying. Some far-right media outlets and bloggers have spread fake news about China for traffic, creating a pro-U.S., anti-China public opinion atmosphere, which is essentially self-restricting and weakens national competitiveness. For a long time, South Korean society has viewed foreign policy through a binary framework of "left pro-China, right pro-U.S.," and this deeply ingrained binary thinking is dividing society and dragging down national interests. Internal division and chaos are undermining South Korea's national competitiveness.
In his article, Park Seung-chan pointed out that, according to multiple poll results, favorability towards China and recognition of China's economic influence are rising globally, but South Korean citizens are affected by anti-China sentiment. South Korea's unwillingness to acknowledge China's technological progress and economic development reflects a "selective neglect" defensive mentality, which will put South Korea at a disadvantage in the upcoming wave of industrial transformation.
Park Seung-chan also noted that recently, videos of a minority of Koreans holding anti-China demonstrations have been circulating on social media, attracting negative comments such as "South Korea is a dangerous country, absolutely must not go" from netizens. This not only raises concerns about the safety of traveling to South Korea but may also create a "counter-anti-Korea" boomerang effect.