By Li Hsien-chi | 2025-12-31

Taiwanese authorities are urging South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in the country's new electronic arrival card system.

The issue surfaced in early December when Taiwanese visitors said South Korea's e-arrival system listed Taiwan as "CHINA (TAIWAN)" in the drop-down menus for "place of departure" and "next destination." South Korea began rolling out the e-arrival card system in February and plans to fully replace paper forms by year-end, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported in early December.

President William Lai Ching-te on December 10 called on South Korea to respect "the will of the Taiwanese people," and MOFA said it is conducting a "comprehensive review" of bilateral ties and preparing possible countermeasures.

China insists Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory, even though the island has been self-ruled since 1949.

The dispute comes as Seoul seeks to steady ties with Beijing as regional frictions over Taiwan continue to simmer.

Beijing tilt

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on December 5 reaffirmed its stance of maintaining "unofficial and pragmatic cooperation" with Taiwan. It said it would consider multiple factors and continue consultations over how nationality and place names are listed in the arrival system, without promising specific revisions.

Former Taiwanese consul general in Busan Luo Tian-hung told Taiwan's Economic Daily News that South Korea has followed a strict one-China policy since cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1992, but has generally remained friendly toward Taiwan.

He said he expects "no substantive change," adding that Seoul is unlikely to revise the e-arrival card listing.

Wu Jialong, a political and economic commentator in Taiwan, told Focus that Seoul's move could be read as a further tilt toward Beijing.

If South Korea is overly pro-China, he said, "it will anger the United States and Japan, leading to a decline in its international status."

He said Taiwan should focus more on the United States and other Western countries in its push for national identity and political symbolism, rather than overemphasizing short-term changes in South Korea's stance.

Kang Jun-young, a professor of Chinese studies at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, told the Korea JoongAng Daily that Korea's "options remain constrained" because it recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China in 1992.

He urged Seoul to "manage the issue carefully to prevent escalation," even as Taiwanese officials say they will keep pressing for changes.

The dispute is complicated by Taiwan-South Korea economic ties. Taiwan's trade deficit with South Korea reached $22.9 billion in 2024, but the two economies are tightly linked in the semiconductor supply chain, limiting Taipei's room for retaliation.

Opposition lawmaker Chang Chi-kai told UDN that Taiwan buys large volumes of high-end memory chips from South Korea each year that are processed and then exported to the United States.

"If we boycott this sector, less purchases mean less profits," he said.

'Blackpink in'

The episode has played out as China and Japan spar publicly over Taiwan-related remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November, a row that has drawn diplomatic protests and counter-protests between Beijing and Tokyo.

The episode may prompt Beijing to pair pressure on Tokyo with incentives for Seoul, say analysts.

Sean King, senior vice-president at New York-based consulting firm Park Strategies, told the South China Morning Post that Beijing may "reward a more compliant South Korea" while meting out retribution to Japan.

"Hence, for PRC (People's Republic of China) music fans, it could be Blackpink in and Ayumi Hamasaki out," he said, referring to a K-pop band and a Japanese pop singer, respectively.

The same report cited a December 12 meeting between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and South Korean Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan, during which the two agreed to accelerate talks on the second phase of a free-trade agreement aimed at expanding cooperation in services, investment and finance after years of stagnation.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is also set to pay a state visit to China from January 4-7 as Seoul seeks to restore ties with Beijing. Relations deteriorated after South Korea deployed the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in 2017, which was followed by an unofficial curb on South Korean entertainment in China.