[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] It was recently revealed that a delegation of South Korean lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties visited Taiwan.
On the 31st of last month, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, "A delegation of South Korean lawmakers and Cho Kyung-tae, chairman of the Korea-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, visited Taiwan from the 28th to the 31st." The visit reportedly included members of the People Power Party such as Representative Cho Kyung-tae, National Assembly Vice Speaker Chung Woo-taek, and Representative Lee Dal-gon, as well as Representative Lee Won-wook from the Democratic Party of Korea.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "This is the first time South Korean lawmakers have visited Taiwan since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "Their visit demonstrates South Korea's support and friendship toward Taiwan." They further noted, "The delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen and Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun, and visited the Mainland Affairs Council to exchange views on tensions in the Taiwan Strait and inter-Korean relations."
The Mainland Affairs Council is an agency under the Executive Yuan responsible for handling Taiwan's affairs related to China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "Chairman Cho has led the Korea-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association since 2012, promoting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries for a long time," and added, "Taiwan and South Korea are allies in the global democracy alliance."
The Taiwan Taipei Times reported, "The South Korean delegation visited Taiwan cautiously and without prior notice," and noted, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not explain why the visit was announced only after their departure."
It continued, "This visit is part of a series of visits by parliamentary delegations from the United States, Europe, Japan, and others in 2022, aimed at showing support for Taiwan amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China."
China, upholding the 'One China' principle, is extremely wary of politicians and officials from other countries visiting Taiwan.
In particular, when Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last August as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives?the first such visit in 25 years?China was outraged and conducted high-intensity military exercises effectively blockading Taiwan.
Nevertheless, lawmakers and officials from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, the Czech Republic, Australia, and others have continued to visit Taiwan since then.
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