Recently, many Chinese students left the Korea International School Jeju with little warning, leading many students and parents to think this was some long-range side effect of the THAAD deployment. THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is the most effective anti-ballistic missile system available. Produced by Lockheed Martin, THAAD is designed to shoot down missiles from any altitude. On July 8th, 2016, the deployment of THAAD was officially confirmed by the South Korean Department of Defense. South Korea and its ally, the United States, announced they were going to utilize THAAD only for defense should North Korea attack. This decision seemed good for South Korea’s security, but the economic sanction it provoked from China have put a huge dent in South Korea’s economy.
At first, the introduction of THAAD looked like an American display of gratitude to South Korea, but hostility grew among South Koreans when the reality of China’s sanctions grew clear. Even when THAAD was merely a rumor, the Chinese government imposed economic sanctions by stopping Chinese citizens from going to South Korea and Chinese firms from exporting to South Korea. Why? Simply put, the Chinese government didn’t like the installment of THAAD because it can scan very far distances, including China.
After the installment was confirmed, Chinese economic sanctions were implemented. Before, numerous Chinese frequently travelled to South Korea, especially to Jeju, Busan, and Incheon: if foreigners bought assigned land in these areas from the government and held it for 5 years, they would receive permanent residency. Many Chinese travelers pursued this option because they couldn’t own personal property in China. Jeju was especially appealing because a Visa is not required to visit there. But after the THAAD deployment was confirmed, many of these Chinese left South Korea. For further investigation, I interviewed the China real estate vehicle commissioner, Wang Rin, who currently lives in South Korea and consults Chinese who live there.
Q. How do Chinese citizens think about THAAD deployment? Currently, many Chinese are viewing this installment negatively, but we are not at the level of hating South Koreans. We thought we were betrayed by the South Korean government, but that was it.
Q. Around three to four years ago, many Chinese students came to study in international schools on Jeju Island. Recently, many Chinese students left. Is this because of the THAAD deployment? About three to four years ago, a new general secretary was elected. While he was making his political line-up, some rich and powerful corrupted Chinese citizens ran to Jeju because they were scared they would be punished. Recently, the general secretary had already made his political line up, and again the rich left South Korea and returned home. Some Chinese had come to Jeju for an education, but they saw their children losing their own culture because the ratio of Koreans to other nationalities was too steep.
Q. Is it true that the Chinese government forbade citizens from traveling to South Korea? Actually, the Chinese government is not forbidding citizens to travel to South Korea: that would be illegal. The Chinese government does make associated companies stop exporting to South Korea, and Chinese customs have started to come down hard in collecting taxes from South Korea. For example, I tried to send perfume to my parents, but it was denied by customs and sent back to me. Therefore, our government is not forbidding citizens to travel, but they are indirectly giving disadvantages to people who travel here.
In conclusion, economic sanctions from China have affected 0.5% of South Korea's economy -- but they have hurt China as well. After the interview above, I learned that Chinese citizens don’t hate South Koreans as much as South Koreans think. In addition, many rumors about the economic sanction were just plain wrong, notably the one concerning the travel ban. For now, we can hope that the newly elected South Korean president will arrive at a better solution.
Dongki Kim 9th grade Korea International School Jeju
