Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan [EPA Yonhap News]

Taiwan has retaliated against the South Korean electronic arrival card's designation of 'China (Taiwan)' by threatening to label 'South Korea' as 'South Korea' on some immigration and alien residency related documents.

According to Taiwanese media such as Taiwan Central News Agency and Liberty Times on the 18th (local time), Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had already changed the Korean name on Taiwan's 'Alien Resident Certificate' to South Korea on the 1st, in accordance with the principle of mutual respect and equality.

It added that if South Korea does not provide a positive response by the 31st, it will take corresponding measures for the 'Taiwan Electronic Arrival Registration Form'.

Taiwan's explanation is that the designation of Taiwan as China (Taiwan) on the departure and destination sections of the South Korean electronic arrival card is unfair, and that Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its representative office in Korea (equivalent to the embassy) have continuously lodged strong protests and demanded corrections from South Korea.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "The private sectors of South Korea and Taiwan have long had close exchanges in economic trade, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges. Taiwan also greatly values the hard-won friendship between the two sides, but South Korea has not yet corrected the unfair designation on the electronic arrival card."

It also said, "We are continuously receiving public criticism about the South Korean side's handling of this matter and expressing disappointment. We once again urge the South Korean side to uphold the principles of mutual respect and equality, face Taiwan's demands squarely, and make prompt corrections."

Taiwan had publicly made such a demand in December of last year as well.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te stated, "We hope that South Korea will respect the will of the Taiwanese people so that both countries can join hands and move forward, stabilizing regional peace and at the same time promoting regional prosperity and development."

Taiwan's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chen Ming-chi, argued, "South Korea has a large trade surplus with Taiwan. In this situation, engaging in unfriendly behavior towards us is not a good move."

A South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs official stated at the time, "We are reviewing the matter in consideration of various issues. As this is not a new issue, we will handle it appropriately based on our basic stance."

Meanwhile, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, commented on this, stating, "'One China' principle is a basic norm of international relations and is universally agreed upon by the international community."