Recently, South Korea has carried out a large-scale cabinet adjustment, which has attracted widespread attention. Yoon Suk-yeol** hopes to boost his approval rating in the upcoming congressional election with personnel changes. In this adjustment, some China-related remarks by Choi Sang-mo, who was nominated as finance minister, also sparked controversy. However, at a recent congressional hearing, Choi Sang-mok publicly reversed his tune, saying that his previous rhetoric was not aimed at decoupling from China, but that he hoped that South Korea would seek a diversified economic cooperation package. In addition, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Do-yeol also said that China-South Korea relations are no less important than those between the United States and South Korea. This series of statements shows that South Korea is gradually changing its China policy and realizing the importance of economic cooperation with China. This article examines the reasons for this shift and the economic and trade problems between China and South Korea, as well as the negative impact of zero-sum game thinking on state-to-state relations.
Yoon Suk-yeol recently made a massive cabinet reshuffle, with six of them replaced. This is the largest personnel change since he took office, and it is aimed at boosting his approval rating in the upcoming congressional election. In this adjustment, Choi Sang-mu was nominated as finance minister, but some of his previous China-related remarks caused controversy. At the same time, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Doi-yeol called for strengthening China-South Korea relations, saying that China-South Korea relations are no less important than those between the United States and South Korea. This series of changes shows that South Korea** is gradually changing its policy towards China and realizing the importance of economic cooperation with China.
However, Yoon Suk-yeol is under tremendous pressure. His approval rating has been declining for some time since he came to power, and his disapproval rating has risen to 60 percent. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has 57 more seats in the National Assembly than the National Power Party, putting Yoon Suk-yeol** at a disadvantage in the National Assembly. Therefore, in order to consolidate his regime, Yoon Suk-yeol chose to win more votes by adjusting his cabinet and making adjustments in foreign policy.
After being nominated for finance minister, Choi Sang-mok changed his tune at a congressional hearing that his previous China-related rhetoric was not aimed at decoupling from China, but simply hoped that South Korea would seek diversified economic cooperation options. He stressed that China is South Korea's closest economic partner and said South Korea needs to keep in mind the importance of cooperation with China for its own interests. This statement shows that South Korea has begun to recognize the importance of maintaining economic cooperation with China, and has abandoned its previous attitude towards China.
Cho Tei-yeol, who succeeded Park Jin as South Korea's foreign minister, stressed that China-South Korea relations are no less important than those between the United States and South Korea, and committed to finding a plan for the harmonious development of China-South Korea and China-US relations. As a diplomat** with more than 40 years of experience, Cho's nomination shows that Yoon Suk-yeol attaches great importance to China-South Korea relations and hopes to promote South Korea's development by strengthening cooperation with China.
Cho's remarks also signify a shift in South Korea's foreign policy. Since Yoon Suk-yeol took office, South Korea's foreign policy has been tilted toward the United States and Japan, leading to an imbalance in relations with China and causing negative voices at home and abroad. And now, with Zhao Duiyeol in control, China-South Korea relations may usher in a new inflection point.
At present, there are some thorny problems in the economic and trade fields between China and the ROK. The General Administration of Customs of China announced the suspension of imports of automotive urea from South Korea, which caused the Korean industry to be very worried. At the same time, South Korea also announced that it has a deficit with China, which is the first deficit since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea 31 years ago. The reasons for this deficit are twofold. On the one hand, with the development of China, China can achieve self-sufficiency in some raw materials, while South Korea needs to rely heavily on Chinese imports for essential materials and critical minerals. On the other hand, under pressure from the United States, South Korea's semiconductor exports to China have been restricted, and semiconductors are South Korea's pillar industry.
These problems have made South Korea realize that relying on a single market alone is unsustainable and that it must seek to diversify its economic cooperation. As a result, South Korea began to adjust its China policy to strengthen economic cooperation with China in order to meet economic and trade challenges.
South Korea** is becoming aware of the negative impact of zero-sum game thinking in state-to-state relations. In the past, some South Koreans have made hostile remarks against China in an attempt to decouple from China. However, this way of thinking only leads to confrontation and disputes, causing harm to relations between countries. By shifting its mindset, South Korea** is trying to find room for cooperation in its relationship with China and seeking to diversify its economic cooperation options. This shift shows that countries should pursue win-win cooperation rather than a zero-sum game.
Through the cabinet adjustment and statement of South Korea, we can see that South Korea is gradually changing its China policy, emphasizing that China is a close partner of South Korea, and China-South Korea relations are no less important than those between the United States and South Korea. The main reason for this shift is that South Korea is under pressure, and it is also to solve the economic and trade problems between China and South Korea. In addition, it also reflects the negative impact of zero-sum game thinking in international relations. South Korea's transformation shows that countries should pursue win-win cooperation rather than confrontation.