text/assassin
The South Korean government has launched the Korean version of the " Indo-Pacific Strategy ". Although the Yin Xiyue government has repeatedly argued that it "will not participate in the anti-China activities of the United States and Japan", this is a copy of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" of the United States and Japan. In this regard, South Korea's " East Asia Daily " pointed out that the US government's welcome to the South Korean government's new strategy shows that South Korea has chosen to side with the United States between China and the United States.
The United States is the culprit of creating tensions in Northeast Asia . It is inevitable that South Korea, like Japan, will become a strategic vassal of the United States and bear similar security and economic costs as Japan. According to Observer Network , KCNA claimed after reporting on the first day of 2023 that the Korean People’s Army launched 3 and 1 super-large-caliber rocket launchers into the East Sea of North Korea from the last day of 2022 and the first day of 2023 respectively.
According to the description of the Korean Central News Agency, this "super caliber" rocket launcher has a caliber of 600 mm and is the "core attack weapon" of the North Korean armed forces. This ultra-large-caliber rocket launcher has strong terrain overcoming capabilities, mobility and the ability to conduct continuous precise assault strikes. According to the North Korean supreme leader, this rocket launcher "can carry tactical nuclear warheads."
It seems that North Korea does not intend to let South Korea have a good New Year's Eve. Since late last month, North Korea's series of military actions have disturbed the South Korean military and people. On the 26th of last month, multiple North Korean drones entered South Korean airspace from multiple directions. The Korean Air Force dispatched dozens of fighters and helicopters to connect and crash. As a result, they were unable to hit even a single drone on the other side, and instead crashed a light attack aircraft.
Subsequently, the South Korean military was like a hunting dog that had become extremely sensitive due to overstimulation. A group of large birds flying over the border was considered to be an "invasion" of the North Korean drone group, and 20 fighter jets were dispatched to "capture the birds." In the early morning of the 28th of last month, a balloon that appeared over South Korea immediately touched the sensitive nerves of the South Korean army. They sent two F-15K fighter jets to fight for most of the night, only to realize that they were nervous. The Korean military's successive self-inflicted incidents caused complaints from both the Korean government and the public. President Yin Xiyue became furious and cursed the Korean military, "What on earth are you doing?"
The South Korean people thought they could have a peaceful New Year's Eve, but they never thought that the North Korean side would release several super-large-caliber rocket launchers as fireworks to "encourage" South Korea's New Year's Eve. At the same time, the North Korean leader also brought a "special blessing" of "carryable tactical nuclear warheads". It is estimated that the South Korean people will not be able to sleep for a few more nights. After all, God knows what "surprises" the other party will have next.
During Moon Jae-in's tenure in South Korea, although relations between North Korea and South Korea were also in a state of tension, the South Korean people had never experienced so many "surprises." In the final analysis, what has upset South Korea is not the North’s super-large-caliber rocket launchers or drones, but Yin Xiyue’s erroneous diplomatic and military strategy of abandoning the balanced line. Obviously, the Yoon Seok-yue government is siding with the United States, which is the main culprit for the repeated frightening of the Korean people.
The deepening collusion between the United States and South Korea has led to the escalation of tensions on the peninsula. The relationship between South Korea and its neighboring countries such as China and Russia has become increasingly tense, which has brought not only security troubles to it, but also economic impacts. According to Global Network , a report released by South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy showed that South Korea’s trade deficit in 2022 was US$47.2 billion, a record high. Yonhap News Agency said that this is the first time in 14 years since the global financial crisis in 2008 that South Korea has experienced a trade deficit, twice the size of the historical high in 1996.
South Korea is a country that relies on trade exports to drive economic growth . The emergence of a huge trade deficit means that the country's economy will inevitably fall into recession. The reason why South Korea's foreign trade deficit in 2022 hit the highest record in history is mainly due to many factors such as the energy crisis , rising prices of international raw materials, the lack of competitiveness of Korean products in the international market, and the depreciation of the Korean won against the US dollar.
China is South Korea's largest trading partner and its main partner in exporting goods and importing industrial raw materials.Therefore, the turmoil in Northeast Asia may be another factor causing this situation. The tense military confrontation on the peninsula is bound to make foreign investors and companies lose confidence in doing business in South Korea. The changing relationship between China and South Korea is also another major factor causing the sales of Korean products in China to be cold.
In short, as South Korea is tied to the chariot of the so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy" of the United States, it will not only affect South Korea's cooperative relations with China and Russia, but also bring more adverse effects to South Korea's surrounding security environment and domestic economic development environment. It is almost certain that 2023 will not be a quiet year for South Korea. At least, as the regional situation continues to worsen, it will be inevitable that South Korea's trade exports will be further affected.
