▲ Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, speaks during a ceremony at the Kim Dae-jung Library in Seoul on June 15, 2023, to mark the 23rd anniversary of the first-ever inter-Korean summit held in June 2000 between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. (Yonhap)

DP leader-China-Russia

Opposition leader expresses concern about worsening relationships with China, Russia

SEOUL, June 15 (Yonhap) -- The leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Thursday he is concerned about South Korea's relations with China and Russia deteriorating rapidly.

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the DP, made the remarks during an event marking the 23rd anniversary of the first-ever inter-Korean summit, stressing that worsened relations with Beijing and Moscow are bad for South Korea's economic and security interests.

"I am concerned that our relationships with China and Russia, which are considered a crucial axis in the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula, have rapidly worsened," he said during the event held at the Kim Dae-jung Presidential Library & Museum in northern Seoul.

"This runs counter to the economic and security interests of the Republic of Korea and would end up bringing (the two countries) closer to North Korea," he said. "It is time to revive pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests."

Tensions have risen in relations between South Korea and China after Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming said during a meeting with Lee last week that those betting on China's defeat in its rivalry with the United States will certainly regret it later.

South Korea's relations with Russia also became tense earlier this year after President Yoon Suk Yeol suggested a shift in the country's policy of providing only non-lethal aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia if Ukraine suffers a large-scale attack on civilians.

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