S Korea tightens visas for Chinese

S Korea tightens visas for Chinese

By Song Jung-a in Seoul

Published: May 1 2008 03:31 | Last updated: May 1 2008 03:31

South Korea said on Wednesday that it planned to tighten visa requirements for Chinese students seeking to enter the country after the outburst of violence by some Chinese citizens during the Olympic torch relay at the weekend.

Seoul has also strongly protested to China about the incident during which local protesters criticising Beijing’s hosting of the 2008 Olympics were attacked by Chinese students. Police are still investigating but those students found to be involved now face eviction from South Korea, its foreign ministry said.

Seoul’s actions came amid growing public anger at what was seen as the first expression of Chinese nationalism in South Korea.

There are fears the measures could cause a rift between the two neighbours despite diplomatic efforts to minimise any long-term damage from the incident. South Korea and China have strengthened economic relations in recent years with China becoming South Korea’s biggest trading partner and many big Korean companies investing heavily in China.

Lee Yong-joon, the Korean deputy foreign minister, in Beijing to discuss details of the planned summit between the countries’ leaders next month, expressed regret about the incident in a meeting with Liu Hongcai, vice-minister of the international department of China’s Communist party.

Thousands of Chinese students took to the streets of Seoul on Sunday to cheer the Olympic torch relay but that led to a confrontation with locals demonstrating against China’s human rights practice, especially over its treatment of North Korean defectors.

While most protesters in other parts of the world focused on Beijing’s crackdown on Tibet, South Korean protesters used the occasion to demand China to stop repatriating North Korean defectors to Pyongyang, where they face heavy punishment.

The furore was fuelled further by the lack of official apology from Beijing. A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman simply said the Chinese students meant well, and “may have been a little over-excited.”

Experts cautioned the incident could spark anti-Chinese sentiment in Seoul if not handled properly. “This could be a turning point in Koreans' perception toward China,” said Han Suk-hee, professor at Yonsei University. “I think public sentiment could turn from pro-China to anti-China due to this incident."