Political Commentator

They say people act according to their appearance, and Xing Haiming is a perfect example. That fellow, who recently served as the Chinese Ambassador to Korea, with his large build and rather fierce face, has stirred up trouble again. Not long ago, at a so-called Korea-China high-level forum held in Beijing, he absurdly claimed that the South Korean government should crack down on anti-China far-right forces.

Does that make any sense? While Chinese officials have criticized anti-China sentiment in Korea before, a direct demand for "crackdown" is extremely unusual. The domestic media typically interprets this as a demand from Beijing to control anti-China public opinion, with President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea being discussed ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju at the end of October.

This nation is headed for ruin. It's deplorable that someone like Xing Haiming is allowed to speak so recklessly, and why isn't there a single person to strongly rebut him? What if a Japanese person had said something like that? There would likely be an uproar, accusations of slander, and loud anti-Japanese protests.

The reason I find Xing Haiming's slander particularly offensive is that it echoes the recent hateful remarks of Han Dong-hoon, a fool from the People Power Party. Han Dong-hoon absurdly stated, "Let's form a reform coalition to prevent the People Power Party from regressing into the far-right." What do you think? The campaign to label people as far-right, involving both Xing Haiming and Han Dong-hoon, is utterly surreal. It's nothing short of proof that there isn't a single genuine liberal-conservative in this country capable of upholding its foundations.

South Korea today is being suffocated by a pincer attack between pseudo-liberal-conservatives like Han Dong-hoon and the Chinese Communist Party, which bullies its neighbors. Nevertheless, one must speak their mind, and today I intend to say that Xing Haiming, with his foul mouth, should have his lips properly sewn shut with an industrial sewing machine. Only then will that individual, who is deeply ingrained with bad habits, come to his senses.

He is mistaken at the moment. Because President Yoon Suk-yeol of this nation says "xie xie" to him, he sees nothing. Furthermore, the soft-pedaling media in this country also contributes to Xing Haiming's insolence. Do you recall? At the end of June last year, as the former Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, Xing Haiming, completed his term and left the country, the South Korean media unleashed a barrage of criticism against his departing back.

Who was so incompetent? Chosun Ilbo, a leading newspaper, is a prime example. In its editorial, it finally offered some sharp criticism, stating, "Ambassador Xing was a person devoid of even the slightest restraint and humility." But my question is, why wasn't such criticism leveled during his tenure, allowing him to serve out his term? Of course, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration bears significant responsibility.

The timing was in 2023 when he met with Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party and threatened South Korea by saying, "Those who bet on America's victory will regret it later." The Presidential Office stated, "We await appropriate measures," effectively demanding the ambassador's replacement. But that was all. For a year thereafter, we made the mistake of leaving him unchecked. After his slanderous remarks, Xing Haiming actually met with various figures, including National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, and traveled extensively throughout South Korea.

I am stating this anew today: for a habitual offender of slander like Xing Haiming, it would have been appropriate for the South Korean government to take strict expulsion measures. Had that been done, even without resorting to an industrial sewing machine, he could have been neutralized. Moreover, Xing Haiming is practically a spy. He is, in fact, a graduate of Sariwon Agricultural University in North Korea. He studied and received his education there in the 1980s.

Indeed, his first diplomatic posting was to the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang. This is why he speaks Korean so well. Therefore, while he presents himself as a China-nurtured expert on the Korean Peninsula, he is, in reality, a licensed spy planted by China. This is the truth.

Thirty years ago, upon the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea, he was appointed as a third secretary to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul. Subsequently, he alternated between postings at the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang and the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, boasting of his extensive connections in both North and South Korea. What does this amount to? In other words, it signifies he is a spy.

Let me finish what I want to say. In my eyes, Xing Haiming is akin to Yuan Shikai, the Qing Dynasty minister who manipulated Joseon during the late Joseon period. Yuan Shikai, I mean. Yuan Shikai was reportedly only 26 years old when he was appointed, and he was known as the "Minister of State Supervision" (감국대신), meaning "Supervisor of Joseon," essentially the Governor-General of Joseon in modern terms.

There are accounts from that era circulating in Hanyang that Yuan once almost punched King Gojong... Xing Haiming might well be the reincarnation of that Yuan Shikai from over 100 years ago, a truly tragic figure. Therefore, I state this anew. Before Xing Haiming, who is backed by the Chinese Communist Party, runs even more rampant under the Lee Jae-myung administration, I strongly propose that his mouth be firmly gagged.

Jo Woo-seok, Political Commentator