Song Eon-seok: "Korea-China Summit a Hollow Diplomatic Effort... Failed to Resolve Issues Like West Sea Structures"

"President Lee's Diplomatic Blunder on 'Chinese Submarine Detection' Led to Failure of 'Bridge Diplomacy' "

Remarks by Floor Leader Song Eon-seok (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Park Dong-ju = On November 2, at the People Power Party-Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon Regional Livelihood Budget Policy Consultation held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, People Power Party Floor Leader Song Eon-seok is speaking. 2025.11.2 pdj6635@yna.co.kr

On November 2, People Power Party Floor Leader Song Eon-seok evaluated the Korea-China summit as "ending as a hollow diplomatic effort that was all sound and fury with no results," stating, "The outcome was very disappointing."

At the joint budget policy consultation meeting with the Seoul metropolitan area held at the National Assembly, Song stated, "Major pending issues directly related to our economy and society, such as the distribution of Korean game content in China due to the Hallyu ban (limited Korean wave) and the visa-free entry issue, were not resolved properly one by one."

He further pointed out, "Although there were discussions regarding China's illegal structures in the West Sea and the lifting of the Hallyu ban, they remained at a theoretical level with no fundamental resolution." He added, "Regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, there was only China's characteristic eloquent rhetoric, with no practical commitment to denuclearization to be found anywhere."

He claimed, "The background to the fruitless outcome lies in President Lee Jae-myung's diplomatic blunder." He explained, "During the Korea-US summit, when requesting approval for nuclear-powered submarine fuel, he publicly mentioned 'Chinese submarine detection,' unnecessarily provoking China." He continued, "As a result, experts have assessed that the level of consultation in this summit was significantly reduced."

Furthermore, he argued, "While President Lee promoted 'bridge diplomacy,' the reality is that the burden of investing $350 billion in the US, which requires paying nearly 30 trillion won annually, and the substantively empty Korea-China summit have ultimately led to the failure of bridge diplomacy." Yonhap News