Increase concern in Washington and Seoul for China’s misinformation campaign

The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, in the final statements of his political trial this week, said that a misinformation campaign backed by China is threatening the democracy of South Korea.

The United States has recognized Beijing’s global misinformation campaign in the midst of growing concerns in Seoul and Washington about China’s alleged interference in the policy and elections of South Korea.

«It is well known that the Chinese Communist Party displays vast information manipulation campaigns worldwide,» said a state department spokesman in a statement sent by email on Wednesday to the Korean service of the VOA.

«False news, propaganda and misinformation are frequently used tools as part of Beijing diplomacy,» says the statement, using a long -standing practice of anonymity.

The comments were made in response to the statements of the Chinese ambassador to Seoul, Dai Bing, who criticized the conservative groups of South Korea for talking about what they consider an interference of Beijing in the policy and elections of South Korea.

On Tuesday, Dai told reporters gathered at the China Embassy in Seoul that the «strong disruptive influence of the groups could significantly affect the development of relations between China and South Korea.»

Dai continued: «We remain committed to non -interference in the internal affairs of South Korea, but we will also take appropriate measures depending on the seriousness of the situation.»

The Antichino feeling has been growing in South Korea, together with the opposition to the Impeachment of Yoon, who is now waiting for the Constitutional Court to issue a ruling on its brief decree of the martial law in December.

Yoon, who faces separated positions for insurrection associated with his martial law decree, was dismissed by the National Assembly controlled by the opposition on December 14, so they considered an extreme measure designed for war times.

Alleged electoral interference

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in support of the arguments presented in judicial hearings that lasted weeks by Yoon’s lawyers, who claimed that China and North Korea interfered in the policy and elections of South Korea to undermine national security.

The Court concluded its political trial hearings on Tuesday after Yoon made its final statement defending its decree.

Yoon said that foreign entities have been collaborating with antistatal forces in South Korea to undermine the liberal democracy system, threatening its national security and taking the country to an emergency state.

«They have taken the country to the state of conflict and chaos through false news, manipulation of public opinion and propaganda,» Yoon said.

The court is expected to issue its ruling in mid -March. If the court decides to prosecute Yoon, elections will be held within 60 days to choose a new president. The leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party (PD), Lee Jae-Myung, known for his opinions in favor of China, is considered a strong candidate.

«China has been actively interfering with South Korea’s policy for decades, and recent evidence suggests that Beijing has even been helping the southern leftists to manipulate the elections,» said Gordon Chang, principal researcher at the Gatestone Institute and author of the Red Plan: China’s Project to Destroy America (Red Plan: China’s project to destroy the United States)

Dai’s comments suggest that «China’s communists believe that no one should ever complain about their blatant interference,» Chang told VOA on Thursday.

Chang and others expressed concern about China’s interference in the policy and elections of South Korea at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, held last week in Washington.

In a forum held on Friday at the CPAC, Fred Fleitz, vice president of the American Security Center of the America First Policy Institute, said: «South Korea plays a crucial role in the promotion of security in Asia Pacific and is a key strategic ally of the United States.»

«That obviously gives strong motivations to China and North Korea to undermine South Korea, to create internal instability, knowing that this will promote their interests and undermine US and global security,» he continued.

«Therefore, this issue of electoral fraud is part of a much greater security challenge,» Fleitz added.

Misinformation campaign

China has been accused of trying to interfere with the elections of other democratic countries, including the United States and Australia, and carrying out campaigns to influence politics and alter public opinion through the media in European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany.

«There is certainly Chinese influence to mold the public opinion of South Korea in a direction that would favor the interests of the People’s Republic of China,» said Andrew Yeo, president of the SK-Korea Foundation at the Asia Policy Studies Center of the Brookings institution, using the official name of China, the People’s Republic of China.

«This includes support for South Korean candidates who could adopt a more conciliatory attitude with China. But I have not seen direct evidence of how China has been directly involved in the electoral interference. If Chinese interference accusations are true, those accusations would be worrisome and a violation of the sovereignty of South Korea,» Yeo to VOA told Thursday.

Robert Rapson, who served as a business manager and mission deputy at the United States Embassy in Seoul from 2018 to 2021, said: «I do not believe that there is any concern on the part of the Trump administration about a transition to a new government of the Republic of Korea if the Constitutional Court confirms the impeach of Mr. Yoon by the National Assembly.» The official name of South Korea is the Republic of Korea.

He said that the United States «can effectively and reliable the urgent issues of our two nations, regardless of whether that government is led by the DP or the PPP» (the ruling party of popular power).

(Jiha Ham contributed to this report)

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