Seoul urged not to repeat historical mistakes

Beijing on Friday slammed the remarks that the Republic of Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol made on the Battle of Lake Changjin, saying that practices of bullying the weak and engaging in expansion and invasion are destined to lose.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the remarks after Yoon in a state visit to Washington applauded the United States' 1st Marine Division for "miraculously breaking through" a wave of 120,000 Chinese troops in the battle during the 1950-53 Korean War.

He made the comments on Thursday when addressing the joint meeting of the US Congress, in an attempt to hail the alliance between Washington and Seoul.

The victory of the three-year War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea is of great and far-reaching significance to China and the world, Mao told a daily news conference in Beijing. A total of 36,000 enemy troops, including 24,000 US service-men, were annihilated during the Changjin battle.

The ironclad fact shows that any country or any army will find themselves on a collision course when they stand opposite to the historical trend and justice, she said.

Mao also said China hopes relevant countries will do more to contribute to world peace instead of making similar mistakes from history.

Meanwhile, Liu Jinsong, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, met with Minister Kang Sang-wook from the ROK embassy in Beijing on Thursday night to lodge solemn representations over the ROK's joint statement with the US, which made wrong remarks on the Taiwan Strait.

Liu emphasized China's stance on the Taiwan question and urged Seoul to strictly adhere to the one-China principle.

The meeting came just one week after China's Vice-Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summoned the ROK's Ambassador to China Chung Jae-ho to voice displeasure on Yoon's erroneous comments on Taiwan in an interview.

At the news conference on Thursday, Mao urged Washington and Seoul to see the true nature of the Taiwan question, and act prudently to avoid going further down the wrong and dangerous path.