South Korea Removes China as ‘Strategic Partner’ in Its Latest National Security Strategy Report

Protesters participate in a vigil commemorating victims of China's 'zero-COVID' policy in Seoul, South Korea, on Nov. 30, 2022. Protesters took to the streets in multiple Chinese cities after a deadly apartment fire in Xinjiang sparked a national outcry as many blamed COVID restrictions for the deaths. Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

Amid growing tensions between South Korea and China, Seoul removed the phrase “strategic partnership” describing the two countries’ relations from its latest national security document.

Moreover, a recent opinion poll found that nearly 80 percent of South Koreans do not trust communist China.