Illustration: Chen Xia/GT
South Korean media's recent deliberate hype of the so-called standoff between China and South Korea in the Yellow Sea has in fact relatively strong links to South Korea's internal political turmoil and partisan fights, rather than a simple question about South Korea's unilateral claim of so-called "maritime dispute" between China and South Korea.
South Korea has a long history of using maritime or border disputes to deflect public attention from domestic conflicts. The international community is no stranger to South Korean politicians' pattern of actively amplifying confrontational rhetoric toward Japan, North Korea and China, whenever they face plummeting approval ratings.
A more recent example is that after the ruling party suffered a disastrous defeat in local elections, the South Korean military, in a rare move, admitted that it had failed to shoot down a North Korean drone. Yoon Seok-yeol then made a tough speech, shifting the focus of public opinion to national security issues, which ultimately led to a historic chaos in South Korea's domestic affairs.
For a long time, the South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Coast Guard have been actively provoking tension in the so-called disputed waters between China and South Korea. It is not uncommon for them to stir up hype about so-called "China-South Korea maritime standoff."
Currently, South Korea is mired in a volatile political cycle marked by factional infighting and pre-election maneuvering. In the week preceding this reported incident, South Korean headlines were dominated by domestic issues such as stalled pension reforms for civil servants and Seoul's skyrocketing housing prices. Livelihood issues actually dominated discussions among South Korean citizens.
Therefore, by carrying out high-risk marine surveys four months before local elections in South Korea and during a period of high political volatility, relevant South Korean agencies are creating a public opinion focus on "defending national sovereignty" and diverting criticism from domestic difficulties.
A simple comparison can verify this assessment. The South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries usually uses ships smaller than 500 tons to carry out routine fishery inspections. This time, a 1,400-ton research vessel equipped with professional equipment was used, reflecting that the action itself has extremely strong political symbolic significance.
It is very obvious in this incident that some political forces in South Korea are trying to "show toughness toward China" through so-called maritime issues, in an attempt to offset mounting public pressure caused by many complex domestic issues and achieve the goal of systematically shifting contradictions.
According to South Korean media reports, the structures involved in this so-called incident are aquafarms located in waters under China's jurisdiction. A more plausible explanation for the incident is that the combination of domestic political chaos and the pressure of the election cycle has prompted relevant forces in South Korea to actively amplify related issues and encourage domestic public opinion to strengthen the confrontational narrative.
Amid the longstanding complex international situation in Northeast Asia, the international community must remain clear-eyed about the track record and hidden motives of certain forces and departments in South Korea, and cannot easily fall into their trap of so-called border and maritime disputes and be deceived by their goal of shifting domestic conflicts.
The international community should pay more attention to strong voices of the South Korean people on political and livelihood issues, and jointly strive to promote stability in South Korea's political arena, domestic economic and social development, and stability in Northeast Asia.
The author is an international strategic scholar. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
