▲ Wi Sung-lac, Director of the National Security Office
It has been learned that the South Korean government raised a serious issue with China regarding recent remarks by Wang Yi, Director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Commission for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Minister, referring to the two Koreas as "two states."
During a closed-door press briefing held on August 28, National Security Office Director Wi Sung-lac stated, "Because the expression 'two states' appeared in the subsequent Chinese special briefing, which differs from our perspective, we lodged a stern objection."
Director Wi particularly explained, "According to the agreement made when South Korea and China established diplomatic relations, China supports our unification," adding, "If it becomes 'two states,' it moves away from unification, which runs counter to our position."
He went on to emphasize, "We conveyed that this could easily cause misunderstandings and does not align with our stance," and noted, "We are urging (the Chinese side) not to use expressions that could provoke such misunderstandings."
However, Director Wi added, "When Foreign Minister Wang met with me, he did not mention 'two states,'" and "While similar remarks were brought up during other consultation processes, it was at the level of expressions China has used in the past."
Foreign Minister Wang held talks with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on August 19 during his visit to South Korea.
In its press release, the Chinese side stated that Foreign Minister Wang remarked, "We are optimistic that the two states of South Korea and Chosun (North Korea) will gradually move toward peaceful coexistence and ultimately realize long-term and sustainable stability on the peninsula."
This prompted some interpretations suggesting that China may have recently accepted North Korea's "hostile two-states theory."
(Photo: Cheong Wa Dae Press Corps, Yonhap News)
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