When asked about the White House comments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs.
He advised Washington to not project its own actions onto Beijing and to “stop sowing troubles in China-South Korea relations”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House, spoke about the two countries’ “ironclad” alliance. He made no mention of concerns about China.
“The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defense Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties,” Rubio said. “We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today’s strategic environment and address new economic challenges.”
Rubio also said the United States would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, “to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.”
CHINA POLICIES UNDER SCRUTINY
As South Korea’s ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier this year, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea’s elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster.
His backers adopted “Stop the Steal” slogans and expressed hopes that Trump would intervene to help, but that never came.
“Most of the ‘election fraud’ allegations I’ve seen reek of conspiracy theories and paranoia,” said Evans Revere, former US Deputy Ambassador for East Asian Affairs.
“It’s unfortunate that a White House spokesperson would allude to these, especially since Lee’s margin of victory was substantial and his conservative opponent quickly and unhesitatingly conceded his loss.”
