[Letters] My anti-South Korean conservatives’ manifesto

Hardly a day goes by in Korea these days without the right-leaning conservative South Korean media bashing China with increasing fanaticism. Last month the JoongAng Ilbo published an editorial titled “The black hole of China”, calling for South Korea to blackmail China with the threat of developing nuclear weapons. You have to give it to these nutty, self-centered South Korean conservatives for being so naive, so delusional, so out of touch that they are truly one of a kind, so much so that they deserve a trophy for it. Only in “Daehanminguk.”

Since Kim Jong-il’s visit to China in April the conservative media in Korea have been blasting China. First they complained about China allowing Kim Jong-il to visit as if it totally came out of the blue (in reality the South Koreans had been speculating for months about Kim Jong-il’s visit to China); then they whined about China not informing MB of the Kim Jong-il visit (why should China?); and later they hammered China for what they called “shielding North Korea.”

If South Korean conservatives had any common sense they would have realized that China is just behaving like any other country by taking care of its national interests first and foremost. No matter who sank the Cheonan, even if the North Koreans did do it (proof presented by the South Korean government is hardly convincing and conclusive), China knew that by openly condemning and confronting North Korean it would only escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula, where China has a vested interest. Stability on the Korean peninsula is in China’s national best interest.

All along, the South Korean conservatives have been acting like spoiled children and throwing tantrums; to them South Korea is the center of the universe and everyone must revolve around them and attend to their needs. They are so naive that they believe China should and must completely disregard its geopolitical designs and considerations to stand by South Korea. What they consistently fail to realize is that South Korea, a staunch “ally” and junior partner of the United States, closely aligns its national geopolitical and security interests with those of the U.S., and the U.S. sees China as a major enemy/adversary/rival. Why should China go out of its way to placate the South Koreans, knowing where the South Koreans stand? They are so out of touch that they thought China could simply wave its magic wand and North Korea would surrender its nuclear weapons. China’s influence over North Korea has been gravely exaggerated and the fact remains that China simply doesn’t know how to rein in North Korea. China was as shocked as everyone else when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test, so much so that China called it a “brazen” act.

North Korea allegedly notified China eight minutes before the test, a huge slap in the face for China. Sure, China has the capability to suffocate North Korea to death economically, but at what cost and with what consequences? If North Korea collapses today it will cause major problems not just for China but for South Korea as well. Imagine millions of impoverished North Koreans swarming across the DMZ into South Korea. Is that what the lunatic South Korean conservatives want? Careful of what you wish for, because you may just get it.

Xiao Fan,

Beijing, China