Korean Presidential Candidates Fail to Criticize China and Do Not Attend Ceremony Honoring Sailors Killed By North Korea
ROK-US relations could be interesting in the coming years considering how many of the liberal Presidential candidates have plans to appease China and North Korea:
However, only a minor opposition Justice Party has proposed a resolution against China’s increasing pressure on South Korea. In the past, the opposition lawmakers, which had showed a pro-China attitude under former President Roh Moo-hyun, contributed to worsening the relations between South Korea and the U.S. They are now calling for reversing the decision on the deployment of missile defense system, while not making any complaints about China’s irrational retaliatory actions against South Korean companies. Will they show the same attitude if the U.S. comes up with similar retaliatory behaviors?
China stood on North Korea’s side over the sinking of the Cheonan on March 26, 2010. Furthermore, the U.S. had to eliminate its plan on military drills against North Korea with its aircraft carrier in the West Sea after meeting with strong opposition from China. The second West Sea Defense Day Ceremony was held at the Daejeon National Cemetery on Thursday in order to honor and remember soldiers killed from the sinking of the Cheonan, the second battle of Yeonpyeong and the bombing of Yeonpyeong Island. However, opposition party members, including leading presidential candidates, Choo Mi-ae, head of the main opposition Democratic Party, and Park Jie-won, head of the People’s Party, did not show up at the event. It seems that opposition party members are putting a presidential election over national security, making the public feel anxious about South Korea’s national security if they win the election in May. [Donga Ilbo]
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Only fools would back the the red Chinese Communist who support the North Korean dictatorship.
Or paid shills.
@880 , many South Korean leftists actually think the real problem on the peninsula is not the Chinese or North Koreans, but the US despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Unfortunately the Conservatives are in complete disarray and they are the minority (but loud) voice now. Anyone who points these out are labeled as old geezards who are red-baiting McArthyiests. The are accused of being old relics of Park Chung Hee, supporting corrupt powers, dictatorship, and uncool by the mainstream media and the youth movement. The left have completely taken over and they will come to power under these environment. The first thing they will do is, do what China is demanding Korea to do, and they will say the US didn’t do anything to help South Korea when China was boycotting Korean products. The Korean left is claiming that the US is just sitting there watching, as China boycotts all the Korean products and South Korea takes the brunt of the hit.
@mercury, we will see what the Korean left does when Moon is likely elected the next President. Moon may be a politician from the Korean left, but he is not a rabid ideologue lot Roh Moo-hyun was. For example Moon has already changed his position on the THAAD deployment which means he is probably calculating that the Chinese will eventually lift the boycott which will allow him to keep relations smooth between both China and the US.