China wants to hold Yoon Suk-yeol to the 'Three Nos'

Diplomacy

Published: 01 Aug. 2022, 18:46 Updated: 08 Aug. 2023, 20:22

China wants to hold Yoon Suk-yeol to the 'Three Nos'

Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shake hands in a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministerial summit in Bali, Indonesia, on July 7. [YONHAP]

Beijing and Seoul are having a verbal battle over a U.S.-led antimissile system in Korea, a thorny issue between them.

“The ‘Three Nos’ was not a promise or agreement we made with China, but an explanation of our position,” Foreign Minister Park Jin said in response to a question during a parliamentary hearing on July 25.

“It is difficult to accept the call from China that we should keep the Three Nos policy even though the matter is of direct concern to our national security and sovereignty.”

The so-called “Three Nos” refers to a pledge made by the Moon Jae-in administration in October 2017 not to make additional deployments of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) anti-missile shield, participate in an American missile defense network or transform the U.S.-Korea-Japan alliance into a military alliance.

Beijing responded quickly to Park’s comments.

“We still remember vividly that in 2017, the Republic of Korea side made a solemn statement on the Thaad issue,” said Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in a press briefing on July 27. “It played a crucial role in boosting mutual trust and deepening cooperation between the two countries. A commitment made should be a commitment kept despite a change of government.”

On the same day, Liu Xiaoming, China's special representative on Korean Peninsula affairs, echoed Zhao’s comments on Twitter.

“New officials cannot ignore old accounts,” Liu wrote. “South Korea should continue to act prudently and seek fundamental solutions to major and sensitive issues involving the security of its neighbors.”

The Foreign Ministry said it was scheduling Park’s trip to China this month.

Park last met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of a G20 foreign ministerial summit in Bali, Indonesia, on July 7. Park told the press upon his return to Seoul that he expected an official Korea-China ministerial summit to take place in Beijing in August.

Others in the Yoon Suk-yeol government have spoken up against the Three Nos policy.

“President Yoon, since his election campaign, has consistently agreed that the Three Nos policy is neither an agreement nor a treaty, and that it can be viewed as a position that was valid only during the Moon Jae-in government,” a senior-ranking official in the Yoon administration told the JoongAng Ilbo.

The Thaad system was installed in Seongju County, North Gyeongsang, in 2017, but has yet to be used. The military base that hosts the system needs to get a green-light from the Korean government to start using it, which Korea has yet to give, citing environmental concerns.

While campaigning for president, Yoon said he would ensure the Thaad system was set into motion and utilized during his administration if he is elected.

“With its recent statements on Thaad, China intends not only to try to keep in check the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's tilt toward the United States, but also to pressure the United States,” said Kang Jun-young, a professor of international and regional studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

“In response, the Korean government should stand its ground in stating that the Three Nos was simply a position, and one that can be adjusted depending on the changing security dynamics and needs of the country.”

BY PARK HYUN-JU,ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]