Wang Yi, head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister, recently referred to North and South Korea as 'two countries' (兩個國家), prompting the South Korean government to raise concerns with China, as reported on September 3.
According to Yonhap News, Wi Sung-lak, Director of the National Security Office, stated during a closed-door press briefing on August 28, "The expression 'two countries' was included in the Chinese announcement, which differs from our perspective, so we raised the issue seriously."
Wi explained, "According to the agreement made when South Korea and China established diplomatic relations, China supports our unification. If we are referred to as 'two countries,' it implies a distancing from unification, which contradicts our position."
He added, "There is a risk of misunderstanding, and we conveyed that such expressions do not align with our stance. We urged them not to use language that could lead to such misunderstandings."
However, Wi noted, "Minister Wang did not mention 'two countries' during our meeting, although similar discussions have arisen in other negotiations, but it was an expression used by China in the past."
Previously, Wang visited South Korea on August 19 and met with Foreign Minister Park Jin. During that meeting, the Chinese side reported that Wang expressed optimism that "the two countries, South Korea and North Korea, are gradually moving toward peaceful coexistence and ultimately achieving long-term and sustainable stability on the peninsula."
This has led some to interpret that China is effectively accepting North Korea's 'hostile two-country theory.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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