Taiwan Foreign Ministry Says South Korean Lawmakers Discussed Geopolitical Challenges; China Protests

The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a group of South Korean lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties visited Taiwan to discuss issues including geopolitical challenges and semiconductor supply chains.

The ministry stated that Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Chih-chung hosted a luncheon on June 8 for the visiting South Korean delegation, which included Representative Kwak Sang-eon of the Democratic Party of Korea, Representative Park Soo-young of the People Power Party, and Representative Kim Jae-won of the Rebuilding Korea Party.

The ministry explained that they "exchanged in-depth views on agendas such as Taiwan-South Korea relations, joint responses to geopolitical challenges, political, economic, and cultural exchanges, and the development of the semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) industries."

Deputy Minister Wu emphasized, "Taiwan and South Korea are both democratic nations standing against the expansion of authoritarianism. Both sides have a solid foundation for cooperation in areas such as culture, economy, trade, and semiconductor supply chains." He added, "Maintaining a free and democratic Taiwan is in South Korea's national interest."

He expressed his hope that "the two countries will continue to expand cooperation across diverse fields."

According to the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry, Representative Park Soo-young noted that he has long paid attention to Taiwan's economic and semiconductor industry development, adding that Taiwan's experience in surpassing $40,000 in per capita GDP offers important insights for South Korea.

Representative Kwak Sang-eon also expressed his support for strengthening exchanges between the capitals of South Korea and Taiwan.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry stated, "Taiwan and South Korea are important partners in the global democratic camp, and substantive exchanges in economy, trade, and humanities are close. In 2025, the total bilateral trade between Taiwan and South Korea exceeded $90 billion (approximately 138 trillion won), an increase of nearly 40% compared to the previous year, making South Korea Taiwan's third-largest trading partner." The ministry further noted, "At the South Korea-U.S. foreign ministers' meeting, South Korea emphasized that peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential for the security and prosperity of the international community."

China protested, citing its "One China" principle.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing on June 9, "China has consistently and firmly opposed any form of official interaction between countries that have diplomatic relations with China and the Taiwan region of China." He added, "The joint communiqué issued by the two countries at the time of establishing diplomatic ties in 1992 clearly stipulates that South Korea respects the position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. Since the beginning of this year, South Korea has publicly reaffirmed on several occasions that its position of respecting the 'One China' principle remains unchanged."

The spokesperson added, "China has lodged solemn representations (protests through diplomatic channels) with the South Korean side regarding this matter," and urged South Korea to "proceed from the overall framework of China-South Korea relations, honor its commitments, and strictly adhere to the 'One China' principle."

(Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.