By Yong Kwon
Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to South Korea is a boost to the Park administration on multiple fronts.
While still struggling to overcome domestic challenges to her administration, President Park Geun-hye faces daunting foreign policy issues ranging from North Korea’s missile provocations to endangered South Korean business interests in Iraq. To make matters worse, the Shinzo Abe government’s reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution, allowing Tokyo to deploy its self-defense forces abroad, has further complicated Seoul’s relationship with its neighbor.
Amidst these difficult times, President Xi Jinping’s upcoming official state visit to South Korea bolsters President Park’s foreign policy position by providing her with much needed diplomatic capital.
Much of the media attention is currently focused on the fact that President Xi is making the visit to Seoul without plans for a similar overture to Pyongyang, perhaps indicating Beijing’s frustration with Kim Jong-un. Given these signs, there are hopes that China will use the upcoming visit to establish a closer working relationship with South Korea on pressuring North Korea. Nonetheless, the Sino-South Korean relationship in recent years has evolved beyond their shared concern for Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and frequent provocations.
Read the full story at The Diplomat