China protested after lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties in South Korea visited Taiwan.

According to a China Central Television (CCTV) report, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea said on the 9th that, regarding the visit to Taiwan the previous day by South Korean National Assembly members including Kwak Sang-eon of the Democratic Party, Park Soo-young of the People Power Party, and Kim Jae-won of the Joguk Innovation Party, “the Chinese side firmly opposes the visit to Taiwan by the three South Korean lawmakers,” adding that “the Chinese Embassy in South Korea also lodged stern protests with South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Assembly, and the relevant political parties, conveying its strong opposition.”

It went on to emphasize, “The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair and the most core among China’s core interests. The ‘One China’ principle is the political foundation for the development of China·South Korea (South Korea·China) relations.” It added, “Regrettably, a very small number of lawmakers in South Korea are seeking to challenge the One China principle on the Taiwan question,” calling it “an attempt to obstruct and undermine China·South Korea (South Korea·China) relations.” It also stated, “Such actions are unacceptable and run counter to the efforts of various sectors in China·South Korea (South Korea·China) to advance friendly cooperation.”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said at a briefing on the 9th, “China has consistently and firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between countries that have diplomatic relations with China and the Taiwan region of China,” adding, “The joint communique issued when diplomatic relations were established in 1992 clearly stipulated that South Korea respects the position that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China. Since the start of this year, South Korea has publicly stated on multiple occasions that there has been no change in its position of respecting ‘One China’.”

Lin added, “China has submitted a stern demarche (a protest through diplomatic channels) to South Korea on this matter,” and said, “We urge South Korea to proceed from the broader framework of China-South Korea relations, honor its commitments, and genuinely uphold the ‘One China’ principle.”

Earlier, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Vice Minister Wu Zhi-zhong held a luncheon on the 8th with a visiting delegation of South Korean lawmakers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan added that they “exchanged in-depth views on such agenda items as Taiwan-South Korea relations and joint responses to geopolitical challenges, political, economic and cultural exchanges, and the development of the semiconductor·artificial intelligence (AI) industries.”