Samsung Group Chairman Lee Jae-yong, captured by Chinese local media JIMU Xinwen on the 5th. The newspaper reported on the 5th that the chairman visited JD.com mall in Beijing with his entourage, including an interpreter. [Photo = JIMU Xinwen]

This South Korea-China summit left a peculiar impression from beginning to end. While the format was that of a summit diplomacy, the content was superficial, with excessive emphasis placed on the scenes.

President Lee Jae-myung ascended the diplomatic stage designed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the heads of South Korean conglomerates standing behind him as representatives of the South Korean business community. China sang the song, and China created the stage.

At the summit, President Lee strongly expressed his will to restore relations, stating, "We will make 2026 the first year of full restoration of South Korea-China relations." He continued by explaining the history between the two countries, saying, "During the period when national sovereignty was usurped, we joined hands and fought together to recover our sovereignty."

However, a crucial historical fact is missing from this narrative.

It is the Korean War, which was the decisive moment that hindered the unification of the Korean Peninsula, and the intervention of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. China was not merely a 'friendly neighbor' but a party that fundamentally altered the war dynamics on the Korean Peninsula by confronting the UN forces.

As a result, the Korean Peninsula became entrenched in a state of division, a structure that continues to this day. To emphasize only the 'relationship of fighting together' while omitting this historical fact may be a gentle diplomatic rhetoric, but it is highly one-sided in terms of selecting facts.

In diplomacy, the way the past is referenced reveals the standards of the present. What is said and what is not said dictates the direction of diplomacy.

While the statement aimed for 'restoration,' it lacked recognition of responsibility for conflict and historical severance. Restoration without standards is ultimately left to the interpretation of the other party.

President Xi Jinping's remarks were measured. Chinese diplomatic jargon such as "strategic choice," "correct direction," and "on the right side of history" was repeated, but specific responsibilities or issues were not mentioned. Instead, expressions that defined the framework and direction of the relationship fixed the nature of the summit.

Consequently, this summit will be remembered more for who dominated the stage than for what was achieved.

No joint statement was issued, and no document was left to solidify the summit's significance.

The remarks were not recorded, but the scenes were.

The images of the leaders and major corporate executives standing together, the high-intensity diplomatic language of 'full restoration,' and photographs that served as substitutes for achievements became the tools to explain the summit's outcome.

The accompanying presence of the business leaders holds meaning at this point.

They were not subjects of negotiation. They did not secure tangible achievements such as investment guarantees or policy agreements. Their role was to fill the stage.

From China's perspective, the scene of business leaders accompanying the summit provides a symbolic연출 (yeonsul - direction/staging) that gives the impression that South Korea-China relations are stable and that South Korea's key economic actors agree with that relationship.

They were not sent to make a deal; they were part of a mobilization to create a scene that made it look like there was a deal.

Diplomacy is not a performance.

However, in this summit, the staging took precedence over the results, and the atmosphere took precedence over standards. Historical conflicts were erased, leaving only the words of relationship restoration.

The void was filled not by documents but by scenes, and not by agreement but by staging.

Ultimately, this summit is likely to be recorded as follows.

The assessment is that Lee Jae-myung stood on the stage created by Xi Jinping, and the South Korean business community was deployed as backup dancers to complete that stage.

The most dangerous moment in diplomacy is when the other party edits history, and we read that edited version as is. This visit to China stood precisely on that boundary.