Gaffe came as US president recounted comments made during summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping
Buffeted by the currents of diplomacy, South Korea is sometimes described as a “shrimp between two whales” and US President Donald Trump has touched nerves with remarks that the peninsula “used to be part of China”. The comments came after Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida. As the pair discussed ways to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions amid mounting tensions, Trump told that Xi went into the history of China and Korea. “And you know, you’ re talking about thousands of years … and many wars. And Korea actually used to be a part of China, ” Trump went on. Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally and Washington wants it to do more about the North’s nuclear and missile programmes, while the US has a security alliance with Seoul and stations more than 28,000 troops in South to defend it. The exact details of what Xi said and whether Trump accurately represented him are not known, but South Koreans are wary of Chinese expansionism and politicians, historians and citizens have been outraged. The Korean peninsula has been heavily influenced by China politically and culturally for centuries. But while its ruling kingdoms sometimes paid tribute to their giant neighbour, South Korean historians stress they did not come under its territorial control, despite repeated invasions. Seoul’s foreign ministry spokesman countered: “The fact that Korea was not part of China for thousands of years… is a clear historical fact acknowledged by the international community.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang declined to confirm the details of Xi’s wording, saying that: “The Korean people should not be worried about it.” But Seoul’s major daily said South Koreans had been “dumbfounded” by the Chinese leader. “If Trump really conveyed Xi’s words correctly, it is nothing but a grave challenge to the identity of the Korean people, ” it said.
