By Hao Junfeng and Wang Fudong
郝君峰、王付东
Recently, the China Coast Guard (CCG) took appropriate control measures in accordance with the law against the Philippine vessels that illegally entered the waters near Ren'ai Jiao of China's Nansha Qundao. In this regard, the spokespersons for the ROK Embassy in the Philippines and the ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs clamored the ROK's strong support for the Philippines, accusing China of endangering the safety of the crew and escalating tensions in the South China Sea by firing water cannons at the Philippine vessels, while further emphasizing that it upholds peace, security in the South China Sea and the so-called rules-based order and advocates freedom of navigation and overflight based on the principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Regarding the ROK's blatantly biased practice, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed his opposition and grave concern.
近日，中国海警依法对非法闯入我南沙群岛仁爱礁邻近海域的菲律宾船只采取管制措施。对此，韩国驻菲律宾大使馆和韩国外交部发言人接连表态力挺菲律宾，指责中方向菲律宾船只发射高压水炮危及船员安全，加剧南海紧张局势，并强调维护南海和平安全和基于规则的秩序，支持基于包括《联合国海洋法公约》在内的国际法原则的航行和飞越自由。针对韩方赤裸裸的“拉偏架”行为，中国外交部发言人汪文斌表明了反对立场和严重关切。
This is not the first time that the ROK spoke up for the Philippines on the South China Sea issue. In recent years, the ROK has frequently backed behind the Philippines in the US-ROK and US-Japan-ROK joint statements, and actively participated in several US-led military exercises involving relevant Southeast Asian countries. The ROK Marine Corps participated in the US-Philippine 2023 Kamandag military exercise on November 9-20, 2023. On November 20 of the same year, the ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol spoke publicly about the South China Sea issue in an interview with the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph, stressing the importance of establishing a rules-based maritime order in the South China Sea. The ROK has also provided warships to the Philippines to help it build up its maritime forces and strengthen war-preparedness in the South China Sea.
这已不是韩国第一次在南海问题上“为菲律宾发声”。近年来，韩国在美韩、美日韩发表的联合声明中多次为菲打气撑腰，并积极参与美国主导、东南亚相关国家参与的一系列军演活动。2023年11月9-20日，韩国海军陆战队参加美菲“海上勇士合作2023”军事演习。同年11月20日，韩国总统尹锡悦接受英国《每日电讯报》采访时公开谈及南海问题，表示“确立包括南海在内的基于区域规则海洋秩序十分重要”。韩国还为菲律宾提供军舰，助力菲建设海上力量、备战南海。
Outwardly, the ROK frequently oversteps the mark by ostensibly championing support for the Philippines, but in fact it has its own selfish calculations.
韩国表面上在南海问题上频繁越线“唱高调”援菲，实则打着其内外私利的算盘。
First, it aims to put pressure on China through the South China Sea issue and convey its consistent loyalty to the US-led West. Since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration came to power, the country has vowed to join the so-called liberal and democratic camp and adhere to the pro-US policy of excluding and containing China, blindly obeying the US and Japan while demonstrating relentless toughness against China in words and deeds. Last year, the ROK repeatedly touched the bottom line of China on the Taiwan question, triggering a series of diplomatic frictions between the two countries and plunging bilateral relations to the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and it is still in a downturn.
首先，借南海问题对华施压继续向美西方阵营输诚。尹锡悦政府上台以来宣誓要站在“自由民主阵营”一边，持续奉行亲美疏华政策，对美、日几近无原则地跟随，对华则不断“放狠话”“做狠事”，积极跟随美西方遏华步伐。去年，韩国在台海问题上多次触碰中方底线，引发两国一系列外交摩擦，导致中韩关系陷入建交以来的最低谷，至今仍持续低迷。
Second, since Southeast Asia is the focus of the ROK's current strategies, the ROK's positive stance on the South China Sea issue is also a gesture of goodwill toward ASEAN countries for the exchange of political and economic interests. Taking the Philippines as an example, the ROK has had close cooperation with the country in recent years, not only holding joint military exercises several times but also exporting a large number of weapons to the Philippines, which has long been a major customer of the ROK military-industrial enterprises. Since 2019, the ROK's arms sales to the Philippines have reached a new peak. In 2022, the ROK's arms export volume jumped to $17 billion, making it the ninth largest arms exporter in the world, and the most prominent export destination is the Philippines. In order to achieve its goal of becoming the world's fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027, the ROK government has been stirring up disputes in the South China Sea to win arms sales contracts from the Philippines. Particularly in the area of surface ships, the ROK has gradually positioned itself as the leading supplier to the Philippine Navy. The ROK plans to deliver two corvettes between 2025 and 2026 and six offshore patrol vessels in 2028, and to sell two KSS-III (Jangbogo-III) class conventional submarines to the Philippines.
其二，东南亚是韩目前经略的重点区域，韩在南海问题上积极表态也是在对东盟国家示好，获取政经利益。以菲律宾为例，近年来，韩菲合作密切，不仅多次举行联合军演，韩还向菲大量出口武器。菲律宾一直是韩国军工的重要客户。从2019年开始，韩国对菲律宾的军售进入一个新高潮。2022年，韩国武器出口额飙升到170亿美元，一举跃居全球第九大武器出口国，其中最突出武器出口对象就是菲律宾。韩国政府为实现2027年成为全球第四大武器出口国的目标，不断挑动南海争端并争取菲律宾的军售订单。尤其是在水面舰艇领域，韩国已逐渐确立菲律宾海军首要供应商地位。韩国预计在2025年和2026年间对菲交付两艘轻型护卫舰，2028年向菲提供6艘近海巡逻舰，并有意向菲律宾出售2艘“张保皋-III”型常规潜艇。
Third, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's recent instigation of the South China Sea disputes between China and the ROK does not exclude the influence of domestic political considerations. Extreme confrontation and maximizing the escalation of conflicts are the administration's usual fail-safed tricks to deal with political and electoral issues. The upcoming ROK National Assembly election on April 10 is considered a midterm exam for the government, and the ruling party's ability to break the current pattern of opposition dominance in the National Assembly will be crucial in preventing the second half of its term from degenerating into a state of ineffectiveness. At present, Yoon Suk-yeol is facing several negative factors, such as poor political performance, livelihood difficulties, diplomatic imbalance and scandals involving his wife, as well as bleak public support rate and electoral prospects. Under these circumstances, the government chooses to fight the domestic healthcare system internally and get tough with China externally to deflect the scandals, divide public sentiment, and mobilize conservative forces.
其三，尹锡悦政府近期挑动中韩南海问题争端，不排除也有国内政治的考虑。极端对抗和最大化激化矛盾是尹锡悦从政、选举中百试不爽的惯用手法。4月10日，韩国国会选举在即，这是尹锡悦政府的“期中考试”，执政党能否打破现阶段韩国国会“朝小野大”格局，将是决定其后半程是否沦为“跛脚鸭”的关键。目前，尹锡悦面临政绩不彰、民生困难、外交失衡、夫人丑闻等一系列负面因素，民众支持率和国会选情并不乐观。在此情况下，尹锡悦政府选择对内与医疗系统激烈对抗，对外摆出对华强硬姿态，以此转移丑闻、分裂民意和集结保守势力支持。
The ROK's unilateral siding with the US and the Philippines will escalate tensions in the South China Sea. China is currently exercising restraint on the South China Sea issue to maintain regional stability. However, the US has been stepping up its support and operations for the Philippines on the political, economic and military levels in an attempt to stir up troubles in the South China Sea, aggravate contradictions between China and neighboring countries and worsen China's geopolitical environment. The ROK's support for the Philippines' wrongdoing is tantamount to adding fuel to the flames.
韩国片面选边站队美国和菲律宾，会加剧南海紧张形势。目前，中方在南海问题上保持克制姿态，希望维护地区稳定。但美国加大在政治、经济和军事等各层面对菲律宾的支援和运作，试图在南海煽风点火，激化中国与周边国家矛盾，恶化中国地缘环境。韩国为菲律宾错误行径撑腰，无异于火上浇油。
The ROK is constantly taking sides and blindly following the US and Japan, almost imitating Japan's foreign policies regardless of the geopolitical differences. All the consequences will inevitably be borne first by the ROK itself.
韩方持续选边站队，无原则追随美日，罔顾与日本的地缘政治差异，几乎照抄日本的对外战略，必将自食恶果。
(The two authors are respectively the director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at the University of International Business and Economics and the executive director of the International Studies Center of Shandong Academy of Social Sciences.)
（作者分别是对外经济贸易大学朝鲜半岛问题研究中心主任，山东社科院国际问题研究中心执行主任）
Editor's note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
