In the chess game in Northeast Asia, China suddenly twisted the steering wheel and sent South Korea's most wanted "Chinese tourists" onto the train to Wonsan, North Korea.

At the same time, South Korea's new President Lee Jae-ming took action quickly, "a wake-up call" of anti-China sentiment in China, and even his own family did not let go.

Behind this series of actions, it is obviously not just the tourism economy, but a "open construction of the plank road and secretly traveling to Chen Cang" in the geopolitics and diplomatic economic game between China, North Korea and South Korea.

Travel is not just about tourism

The starting point of this matter is to put it bluntly, it is a "tourism route". However, this route does not open to Jeju Island, but a "national key project" that leads to the Wonsan Gama Peninsula on the east coast of North Korea, and is set by Kim Jong-un personally.

This tourist area has a hotel capacity of enough to accommodate 20,000 people, and has ski resorts and golf courses. The target customers are not locals, but foreign tourists, especially Chinese.

Why are Chinese? It's very simple. Before the epidemic, Chinese tourists accounted for more than 80% of North Korean incoming tourists. It's so tough to speak with data.

Nowadays, China may open up citizens' travel to North Korea, and its preferred destination is Wonsan. This is not a decision to pat the head, but a direct reflection of the heating up of Sino-North Korea relations. As soon as the news of Kim Jong-un's upcoming visit to China came out, the discussion on tourism cooperation became hot. This coincidence in time does not seem like a coincidence.

More importantly, China's move is not only economic accounts, but also diplomatic accounts. On the one hand, in the context of Russia and North Korea approaching, China needs to reconstruct its traditional relations with North Korea and take the initiative in its own hands.

On the other hand, releasing goodwill through tourism cooperation is also an observation of whether North Korea is willing to truly "open the door" and gradually integrate into the regional economy. If this cooperation becomes, North Korea's foreign exchange problem may be able to breathe a sigh of relief, while China can stabilize the situation on the peninsula in the most "soft" way.

Anti-China sentiment caused a fire

Look at South Korea again. Once upon a time, anti-China gatherings on the streets of South Korea and emotional confrontations on the Internet became almost the norm. This atmosphere was left behind from the Yoon Seok-yeo era and became more and more prosperous.

But after Li Zaiming came to power, his style took a sharp turn for the worse. He did not persuade him, but directly "ordered": at the State Council, he named the anti-China rally to "destroy national interests" and asked relevant departments to formulate punitive measures, saying that such behaviors "must be prohibited."

This attitude is unprecedented in the political environment of South Korea. It is not because Lee Jae-ming suddenly "prospered China", but because the pressure is too great. The South Korean economy is currently under the double hit of weak domestic demand and slowing exports, and the consumption power of Chinese tourists happens to be the most direct "life-saving straw".

Data shows that before the epidemic, more than 6 million Chinese tourists went to South Korea every year, and the proportion of consumption expenditure was astonishingly high. Now that Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are approaching, South Korea has introduced a visa-free policy, and Li Zaiming is anxious to "invite" this group of people.

But the question is whether Chinese tourists will return? Now they are going to Wonsan, not Seoul. From this perspective, Lee Jae-ming's "responsiveness" is more like making up for the broken sheep, but the sheep pen has been surrounded by people on the other side.

North Korea stole the limelight, South Korea lost the opportunity

South Korea originally hoped to rely on the "Chinese tourists + visa-free policy" to play a trump card for economic recovery, but before it took action, the opponent was already making arrangements.

Once the Sino-North Korea tourism cooperation is launched, the Yuanshan project may become an emerging tourist landmark in Northeast Asia. Don’t underestimate this route, it involves the redistribution of the regional economic chain.

In the past, South Korea has been the "leader" in the tourism economy of Northeast Asia, and now, if Chinese tourists start to turn to North Korea, South Korea's competitive advantage will be substantially challenged.

The Wall Street Journal analyzed that changing the flow of Chinese tourists may reshape the consumption pattern of the entire Northeast Asia. In other words, this is not just a change in tourism routes, but a transfer of regional discourse power.

Li Jae-ming can certainly understand that he wants to stabilize the basic foundation of China-South Korea relations by suppressing anti-China behavior, but the reality is that South Korea's domestic political division is serious, public opinion confrontation is fierce, and it is difficult to consistently implement China's policies.

What's more difficult is that relying on the United States in terms of security and China's economy has always left South Korea in a dilemma. China's choice to deepen cooperation with North Korea this time is actually sending a signal: if South Korea continues to jump left and right between China and the United States, the opportunity for cooperation may be snatched away by others.

The chain reaction triggered by a tourism project ultimately points to the strategic reconstruction of the entire Northeast Asia. China's approach to North Korea is not only to drive the economy, but also to take the initiative in the situation on the peninsula. Li Zaiming's rectification of anti-China behavior is not just a gesture, but also a pragmatic move to try to save China-South Korea relations.

The problem is that posture is posture, but the effect depends on the action. Whether Chinese tourists buy it depends on whether South Korea can truly stabilize its policy toward China and establish a long-term trust mechanism. Now it seems that this path is not easy to go.

Wonshan tourism cooperation looks "lively", but in fact it is an embodiment of the tacit understanding between China and North Korea; while South Korea's "self-rectification" reveals the uneasiness and anxiety in the gap between China and the United States.

The Northeast Asia game is still worth it, but from this time, China seems to be ahead, while South Korea is still looking for its own position.

Information source:

Latest statement! Li Zaiming angrily criticized the anti-China rally: It is purely "causing trouble" 2025-09-09 21:14·Global Network