Seoul Ends Diplomatic Ambiguity on China

Continuing North Korean provocation tries South Korea’s patience

By: Shim Jae Hoon

When China opened diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1992 – in defiance of fierce opposition from neighbor and ally North Korea – it triggered expectation that Beijing was ready to play a stabilizing role on the Korean peninsula.

Three decades later, that optimism has been replaced by a sense that Beijing is actually playing the tw…