South Korea and China faced a two-hour standoff last month after China installed an unauthorized steel structure in overlapping waters in the West Sea. Chinese coast guard ships blocked and threatened the Korean research vessel sent to inspect the structure—a dangerous provocation that directly challenges Korea’s maritime sovereignty. Yet the main opposition, the Democratic Party of Korea, which commands a majority in parliament, has remained silent.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the standoff occurred on Feb. 26 when it called officials from the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on March 18 to lodge a protest over the incident. The People Power Party issued a statement the next day calling for a firm response, but the Democratic Party has not made a single comment, as if nothing has happened.
China’s installation of a massive structure in the undemarcated waters of the West Sea must be taken seriously. China has a pattern of building artificial structures in disputed waters, then using force to block access and ultimately claiming de facto control. In the South China Sea, where it has territorial disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam, China has turned three artificial islands into military fortresses. In the East China Sea, where it has disputes with Japan, it has reportedly installed over ten natural gas drilling platforms. Now, China appears to be using the same tactics in the West Sea, which is supposed to be jointly managed by South Korea and China.
When another nation challenges our sovereignty and territory, it is only natural for political parties to voice a united response against the threat and develop countermeasures. But the Democratic Party, which holds enough seats in the National Assembly to pass any bill it wants, has not issued a single statement of concern or condemnation. In March last year, party leader Lee Jae-myung dismissed tensions in the Taiwan Strait, saying, “What does it have to do with us?” and added, “Just say ‘xiexie’ (thank you) to China and ‘xiexie’ to Taiwan.” Regardless of how important South Korea-China relations may be, brushing aside issues is unacceptable when our territorial waters are at stake.
Recently, when the U.S. Department of Energy designated South Korea as a “sensitive country,” the Democratic Party reacted right away, blaming the ruling party and the Yoon administration for floating the idea of enhancing the country’s nuclear self-reliance, claiming it led to the designation. How can a party that reacts so strongly against discussions on defending South Korea from North Korea’s nuclear threat remain utterly silent about China’s threat in the West Sea? The Democratic Party said it would consider a parliamentary resolution urging the U.S. to remove South Korea from the DOE’s sensitive country list. If the same logic applies, the party should also push for a resolution demanding China to dismantle the structure.
March 26 marks the 15th anniversary of the Cheonan warship sinking, and March 28 is the 10th West Sea Defense Day. The Democratic Party should break its silence on China’s unauthorized structure installation and demonstrate its commitment to protecting the West Sea.
