In South Korea, will growing anti-China views come between Seoul and Beijing?

A recent poll shows South Koreans have an even less favourable view of China than of its former colonial ruler Japan, amid controversies over food and history

The souring public mood raises questions about the long-term sustainability of Seoul’s efforts to forge closer ties with Beijing, even as it relies on Washington for its security

Reading Time:6 minutes

President Moon Jae-in (left) pictured with China’s President Xi Jinping prior to talks in Osaka on June 27, 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:00am, 14 Apr 2021Updated: 11:38am, 14 Apr 2021

Lee JH didn’t have to think twice before signing a petition objecting to the construction of a tourist-focused “Chinatown” in South Korea’s eastern Gangwon province.

The 29-year-old illustrator in Bucheon, about 20km outside Seoul, distrusts China following repeated controversies involving Chinese claims of ownership to Korean culture, and fears that the so-called Korea-China Culture Town, which is being developed with the support of Beijing mouthpiece People’s Daily, will lead to an influx of Chinese capital.

Lee, who asked to be identified by her initials, is among some 500,000 South Koreans who have signed the online petition calling on the government to cancel the tourist attraction, which has been planned since 2017 and aims to showcase Chinese culture, including traditional Chinese gardens.

Under an online petition system operated by the presidential Blue House, the government is required to issue a response to any petition that attracts at least 200,000 supporters.

“We have already faced China’s Northeast Project that attempted to take away our ancient history, and more recently, distorted historical facts about our history have been featured on Chinese search engines,” said Lee, referring to a controversial initiative by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that has been accused of rewriting history to include ancient Korean kingdoms as part of China.

Amid a growing backlash, the Gangwon provincial government has stressed that the project is a tourist attraction, not a residential development for Chinese, and has not been supported with public funds. Authorities have also dismissed claims that the project would be built on top of a historical site, noting the actual site of the development is more than 20km away.