April 20, 2023
SEOUL, April 20 (Reuters) - South Korea said on Thursday it
summoned China's ambassador to protest at Beijing's criticism of South Korean
President Yoon Suk Yeol's remarks on Taiwan.
The move came after China and South Korea exchanged harsh words
over Yoon's comments in a recent interview with Reuters.
In an exclusive
interview with Reuters, Yoon said increased tensions around Taiwan
were due to attempts to change the status quo by force, and he opposed such a
change.
"The Taiwan issue
is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but, like the issue of North
Korea, it is a global issue." Yoon said.
Asked about Yoon's
comments, the Chinese foreign ministry denounced Yoon and called on South Korea
to "prudently handle matters" related to Taiwan.
"Its resolution
(of the Taiwan issue) is a matter for Chinese who do not need to be told what
should or should not be done," spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular
news briefing on Thursday.
Hours later, South
Korea's foreign ministry hit back and said comments by the Chinese foreign
ministry were "unspeakable".
A vice foreign
minister called in Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Xing Haiming and strongly
protested what South Korea called "diplomatic discourtesy", the South
Korean foreign ministry said in a statement.
On Sino-U.S. rivalry,
the South Korean leader has trodden cautiously, with China being South Korea's
largest trade partner, but he has been more vocal over tension in the Taiwan
Strait.
Tensions over
democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, have
spiked over the past three years as Beijing ramps up diplomatic and military
pressure to get Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.
Reporting by Ju-min
Park, Soo-hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin; Editing by
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