Gaffe came as US president recounted comments made during summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping<\/b>
Buffeted by the currents of diplomacy, South Korea is sometimes described as a \u201cshrimp between two whales\u201d and US President Donald Trump has touched nerves with remarks that the peninsula \u201cused to be part of China\u201d. 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\u2019s nuclear ambitions amid mounting tensions, Trump told that Xi went into the history of China and Korea. \u201cAnd you know, you\u2019 re talking about thousands of years … and many wars. And Korea actually used to be a part of China, \u201d Trump went on. Beijing is Pyongyang\u2019s sole major ally and Washington wants it to do more about the North\u2019s 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\u2019s foreign ministry spokesman countered: \u201cThe fact that Korea was not part of China for thousands of years… is a clear historical fact acknowledged by the international community.\u201d Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang declined to confirm the details of Xi\u2019s wording, saying that: \u201cThe Korean people should not be worried about it.\u201d But Seoul\u2019s major daily said South Koreans had been \u201cdumbfounded\u201d by the Chinese leader. \u201cIf Trump really conveyed Xi\u2019s words correctly, it is nothing but a grave challenge to the identity of the Korean people, \u201d it said. South Korean historians and activists rallied outside the Chinese embassy on Friday to protest against Xi\u2019s \u201cabsurd remarks\u201d, the Yonhap news agency reported. Seoul and Beijing are at loggerheads over the deployment of the US missile defence system THAAD to the South to guard against threats from the North, infuriating China, which sees it as weakening its own capabilities. Beijing has imposed a series of moves including a ban on group tours to the South and suspensions of South Korean businesses in China, which are seen by Seoul as economic retaliation. South Korea\u2019s top-selling newspaper turned on both leaders, castigating Xi for his \u201cpre-modern expansionist view\u201d and Trump for a lack of awareness of diplomatic sensitivities. \u201cThe fact that Trump publicly disclosed such a remark demonstrates that he is completely ignorant about the history of the Korean peninsula, \u201d it said in an editorial on Friday. The row came after South Koreans were dismayed by the revelation that the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and a supporting battle group were still thousands of kilometres from the peninsula, despite the White House saying it was dispatching them to the area as tensions mounted with the North. Trump had described the vessels as an \u201carmada\u201d and \u201cvery powerful\u201d and the revelation drew jeers and disappointment. \u201cWhat Mr Trump said was very important for the national security of South Korea, \u201d conservative South Korean presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo told . \u201cIf that was a lie, then during Trump\u2019s term, South Korea will not trust whatever Trump says.\u201d The series of missteps demonstrate lack of communications within Trump\u2019s nascent administration, said Bong Young-shik, analyst at the Yonsei University\u2019s Institute for North Korean Studies. \u201cTrump is an outsider inexperienced with how Washington works … and the coordination among his White House, the State Department and the Pentagon seems to be poor for now, \u201d said. Relations between Seoul and Beijing are \u201cat their lowest for years\u201d, said Bong and Trump\u2019s description of Xi\u2019s remark was likely to worsen them further, \u201cwhether he intended to or not\u201d. Fears of potential Korean conflict have mounted in recent weeks with Pyongyang showing no sign of any willingness to abandon its nuclear and missile programmes, plus the US saying that military action was an \u201coption on the table\u201d. The North has vast amounts of artillery deployed within striking range of Seoul, putting the South Korean capital at risk of devastation in even a conventional conflict. The carrier controversy illustrated Trump\u2019s \u201cunpredictable behaviour\u201d that could lead to \u201cdisastrous events\u201d, the daily said. \u201cWe are worried whether the Trump administration … can properly handle a crisis on the Korean peninsula, \u201d it added. \u201cThe South Korean government should brace itself against the \u2018Trump Risk\u2019 .\u201d<\/p>\n