As the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan heightens the level of tension between the US and China, the ripple effect it will have on Korea's diplomatic space is also noteworthy.



For South Korea, which is the US' regional ally in Northeast Asia and maintains cooperative relations with China, harmonious management of relations with the US and China is an important diplomatic task.



Experts observe that as the strategic competition between the US and China intensifies and the camp structure such as 'Korea, US, Japan vs. North Korea, China, Russia' becomes more established, it may become difficult for Korea to secure a diplomatic space.



In particular, the Taiwan issue is the most flammable topic in the US-China conflict structure.



This is why Chairman Pelosi's visit to Taiwan provoked a high-level response from both sides and escalated into an immediate confrontation.



The Korean government is maintaining a cautious stance, publicly giving only a principled response, but is monitoring the impact of this visit on the regional situation, including the US-China conflict.



In response to a related question at a briefing on the 3rd, an official from the presidential office said, "Our government is in a position to maintain close communication with regional parties on various issues under the keynote that peace and stability in the region are necessary through dialogue and cooperation." .



However, as tensions between the US and China increase over the Taiwan issue, South Korea could face pressure to clarify its position.



Beginning with the Korea-US summit in May of last year during the Moon Jae-in administration, joint documents between the ROK and the United States continue to contain references to the Taiwan Strait.



Although it is a statement in principle that "emphasizes the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," China has strongly objected to discussing the Taiwan issue with other countries as interference in its internal affairs.



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The United States is arguing that China's armed protests around Taiwan are a unilateral attempt to change the status quo and argues that allies and allies must participate in maintaining 'norms-based order'.



As Chairman Pelosi said in his arrival in Taiwan statement, "America's solidarity with the 23 million Taiwanese is more important today than ever, as the world faces a choice between dictatorship and democracy." We are also looking at the problem from the perspective of a 'value battle'.



Chairman Pelosi is due to arrive in Korea this afternoon after completing his visit to Taiwan.



He is scheduled to make a joint press release after meeting with his counterpart, National Assembly Chairman Kim Jin-pyo, tomorrow morning, and it is noteworthy whether he will comment on the situation in Taiwan, his previous visit, or the Indo-Pacific region.



However, as President Yun Seok-yeol is on vacation and Foreign Minister Park Jin is absent to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Cambodia, meetings with key figures in the Korean government are likely to be small.



Meanwhile, North Korea criticized Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, saying, "The US' unscrupulous interference in internal affairs and intentional political and military provocations are the cause of harm to the peace and security of the region." It showed off cooperation with China.



(Photo = Getty Images Korea)