South Korea courts Chinese tourists amid Beijing-Tokyo spat, but security challenges loom
Flag carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been steadily ramping up flight frequencies to China since early November
[SEOUL] South Korea appears to have emerged as a top alternative destination for Chinese travellers after Beijing urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan amid a deepening bilateral spat.
But there are also potential downsides when it comes to regional security, with ties among the three North-east Asian neighbours heading towards a freeze, say analysts.
The weekend after China issued its travel advisory on Nov 14, in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan, Chinese tourists were reassessing their holiday choices.
Citing data from one of China’s largest travel platforms, Qunar, Chinese media reported a surge in ticket bookings and online searches for South Korea, with interest in other destinations such as Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam also rising.
Seeking to capitalise on diverted tourist flows, South Korea’s airlines are expanding routes and increasing flights to China.
Flag carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines have been steadily ramping up flight frequencies to China since early November, while budget airlines such as Jeju Air and T’way are opening new routes to cities including Guilin and Wuhan.
Reuters reported on Nov 24 that Chinese cruise operators are changing routes to avoid Japanese ports.
A Chinese cruise ship that normally sails from Qingdao to South Korea’s Jeju with stops in Fukuoka, Sasebo and Nagasaki has revised its December itinerary, skipping all Japanese ports and allocating more time in Jeju instead.
The cruise ship will spend 31 to 57 hours in Jeju, longer than its usual scheduled nine hours.
But while these moves may yield short-term economic gains for South Korea, analysts warn that a prolonged spat could undermine trilateral cooperation between Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul.
Already, the cracks are showing.
As the current holder of the rotating chair of the trilateral mechanism, Japan had sought to convene a summit in early 2026, but its efforts were rebuffed by China, which cited the fallout from Takaichi’s remarks.
At a Nov 24 press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Takaichi’s “erroneous remarks on Taiwan have damaged the foundation and atmosphere” for trilateral cooperation, adding that “conditions are not right at the moment” for a summit.
China had also earlier postponed a trilateral cultural ministers’ meeting scheduled to take place in Macau later in November.
Despite the countries’ economic interdependency, the fragile trilateral cooperation framework has long been hampered by historical wartime grievances, recurring bilateral disputes and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic.
The last trilateral summit, held in Seoul in May 2024, came after a hiatus of more than four years due to the pandemic and fraught tensions between Seoul and Tokyo in late 2018 over compensation for forced wartime labour.
Trilateral talks had also been suspended in 2012 amid a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over a cluster of islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Seoul-Beijing relations have just started a tentative thaw after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first summit visit to South Korea in 11 years early in November and his attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in late October, after relations hit a nadir in 2017 over South Korea’s deployment of a US anti-missile defence system.
Research fellow Lee Dong-gyu, of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, told The Straits Times (ST) that while Seoul will benefit directly as Sino-Japanese relations deteriorate, developments would have a negative impact on Seoul’s foreign policy in the longer run.
“China has been emphasising trilateral cooperation to dispel concerns about a growing bloc-style confrontation between South Korea-US-Japan and North Korea-China-Russia,” he said.
He added that Japan also risks straining its ties with the US by provoking unnecessary conflict at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to ease tensions with China and pressing its regional allies to shoulder greater roles and responsibilities.
Dr Lee warned that the Beijing-Tokyo friction could undermine “regional consensus on North Korean issues”, particularly amid heightened expectations of a potential summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un when the US leader visits Beijing in April 2026.
Although Trump had extended overtures to North Korea’s Kim for a meeting during his Asia tour to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea in October, a meeting ultimately did not materialise.
“If Trump visits China next year and the US-China tensions ease, his administration is likely to expect South Korea and Japan to take on greater roles in containing China. To counter this, China may cultivate a more favourable relationship with South Korea than with Japan if the China-Japan spat persists. As a result, South Korea’s strategic dilemma between the US and China can be expected to deepen,” said Dr Lee.
Other analysts see Beijing’s sharp reaction to Takaichi as a veiled warning to other US allies like Seoul to refrain from commenting on Taiwan.
Takaichi’s comments during a parliamentary debate on Nov 7 that Tokyo could respond militarily to a Chinese attack on Taiwan unleashed the wrath of Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory.
Dr Andrew Yeo, a senior fellow and SK-Korea Foundation chair at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Asia Policy Studies, told ST: “Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing certainly worry Seoul as they create greater instability in North-east Asia. The Lee Jae Myung government will look at the downward spiral in China-Japan relations as a reason to remain cautious on Taiwan.”
Professor of Chinese foreign policy Choo Jae-woo of Seoul’s Kyung Hee University shared a similar view, saying that the long-term implications of Sino-Japanese tensions would make it difficult for South Korea to openly express its position on the Taiwan issue.
Prof Choo said: “The US is taking a low-key approach and it would be wise to follow suit.”
After his phone call with President Xi on Nov 24, Trump’s social media post made no mention of Taiwan. China’s Xinhua news agency’s readout of the call simply stated that Xi had outlined “China’s principled position on the Taiwan question”.
South Korean President Lee has stressed a “cool-headed” approach to tensions between the two neighbours, reaffirming his government’s commitment to “pragmatic diplomacy centred on national interests”.
Speaking to reporters on Nov 24, Lee said he had sought to maintain balance by holding separate summits with Takaichi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the recently concluded Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He added: “During both summits, South Korea’s fundamental position was fully explained, and consultations were thorough to prevent misinterpretation. From South Korea’s perspective, there are no threats or additional elements of conflict.”
In early October, Lee had called for a crackdown on the anti-Chinese rallies that have gained traction in South Korea following the martial law debacle of December 2024, saying that such discriminatory acts and hate speech harm national interests.
The rallies are driven by staunch supporters of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who believe that Chinese interference in South Korean politics had contributed to Yoon’s political downfall.
With the mutual easing of visa requirements, South Korea has experienced a strong rebound in Chinese tourism in 2025.
In the first nine months of the year, the country welcomed 4.2 million Chinese visitors, and the number is expected to hit the pre-pandemic peak of more than six million by the end of the year.
However, the return of Chinese tourists has also drawn attention to instances of inappropriate behaviour, with separate reports of Chinese tourists defecating at Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace and Jeju’s Hallasan mountain making headlines.
But Asan Institute for Policy Studies’ Dr Lee believes the anti-Chinese sentiment would not impact the restoration of Seoul-Beijing ties.
“While reports of rude behaviour by Chinese tourists will continue to attract attention, anti-China sentiment already exists in South Korea, so these incidents are unlikely to significantly intensify it.
“Although the Chinese government may express dissatisfaction over such sentiment in the media, it is unlikely to derail the ongoing momentum to restore South Korea-China relations,” he said. THE STRAITS TIMES
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