CHINA WATCHConcern Grows in Washington, Seoul about China's Disinformation Campaign
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the closing statements of his impeachment trial this week said that a Chinese-backed disinformation campaign is threatening South Korea’s democracy. The United States has acknowledged Beijing’s global disinformation campaign amid growing concerns in Seoul and Washington about China’s alleged interference in South Korean politics and elections.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in the closing statements of his impeachment trial this week said that a Chinese-backed disinformation campaign is threatening South Korea’s democracy. The United States has acknowledged Beijing’s global disinformation campaign amid growing concerns in Seoul and Washington about China’s alleged interference in South Korean politics and elections.
“It’s well known that the Chinese Communist Party deploys vast information manipulation campaigns around the world,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement emailed Wednesday to VOA’s Korean Service.
“Fake news, propaganda and disinformation are tools frequently employed as a part of Beijing’s diplomacy,” the statement said, using a long-standing practice of anonymity.
The comments were made in response to remarks by China’s ambassador to Seoul, Dai Bing, who criticized South Korean conservative groups for speaking out about what they view as Beijing’s interference in South Korean politics and elections.
On Tuesday, Dai told journalists gathered at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul that the groups’ “strong disruptive influence could significantly impact the development of China-South Korea relations.”
Dai continued, “We remain committed to noninterference in South Korea’s internal affairs, but we will also take appropriate measures depending on the severity of the situation.”
Anti-Chinese sentiment has been growing in South Korea, along with opposition to the impeachment of Yoon, who is now waiting for the Constitutional Court to rule on his brief martial law decree in December.
Yoon, facing separate charges for insurrection associated with his martial law decree, was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly on Dec. 14, for what they saw as taking an extreme measure designed for times of war.
Alleged Election Interference
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in support of arguments made at weekslong court hearings by Yoon’s attorneys, who alleged that China and North Korea interfered in South Korean politics and elections to undermine national security.
The court wrapped up its impeachment hearings on Tuesday after Yoon made his final statement defending his decree.
Yoon said foreign entities have been collaborating with anti-state forces in South Korea in undermining the system of liberal democracy, threatening its national security and driving the country into a state of emergency.
“They have driven the country into the state of conflict and chaos through fake news, manipulation of public opinion and propaganda,” Yoon said.
