South Korea summons Chinese ambassador accused of criticism of Seoul. Beijing is Seoul's largest trading partner with 23% of the country's exports.
If South Korea wants to be firm on Chinese comments, it is caught in a vice. 2023 marks 70 years of the military alliance between the United States and South Korea. Forged in the Korean War, this alliance materialized on 1 October 1953 into a mutual defence treaty. It's hard to get angry with China, which also plays an important role in the North Korean issue.