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Declassified documents show North's objections to growing South-China ties in mid-1990s

Published: 31 Mar. 2026, 18:03

Former Korean President Kim Young-sam, left, and former Chinese President Jiang Zemin shake hands during a summit in this file photo. [JOONGANG ILBO]

North Korea sharply reacted to growing relations between South Korea and China in the mid-1990s, even threatening to establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in retaliation, declassified dossiers showed on Tuesday.

Pyongyang's objection came as China was arranging its then-President Jiang Zemin's visit to Seoul for November 1995, three years after Beijing and Seoul established diplomatic ties in the post-Cold War era — a move that had angered the North, its traditional ally.

Diplomatic documents from 1995, released by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, revealed that the North had lashed out at China for drawing closer to the South in a meeting of state think tank experts in June 1995.

According to the dossiers, when the Chinese side voiced concerns over Pyongyang's approach to Taiwan at the time, North Korean experts reacted sharply by asking, “Why shouldn't North Korea develop relations with Taiwan when China and South Korea were engaging in high-level exchanges?”

The North Korean experts went on to warn that if Jiang visits South Korea in November as has been speculated, the North “would have no choice but to take certain measures in its relations with Taiwan” and may even be “compelled to consider establishing formal diplomatic ties,” the documents showed.

The North also expressed displeasure over the developments in Seoul-Beijing relations when then-Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan visited Pyongyang in June of that year, particularly regarding military exchanges.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a dinner hosted by Xi in Beijing on Sept. 6, 2025, in this screengrab from the state-run Korean Central Television. [YONHAP]

In the lead-up to Jiang's visit to South Korea, China had considered arranging the trip to take place before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Osaka, Japan, so as not to provoke Pyongyang.

But the trip ultimately took place from Nov. 13 to 17, ahead of the APEC meeting, after Seoul persuaded Beijing that North Korea's objections would persist regardless of whether the visit occurred before or after the forum.

The dossiers also offered a glimpse into how China attempted to placate its ally while it was preparing for Jiang's visit to Seoul.

In summit preparatory meetings, Beijing called for toning down the rhetoric in speeches on bilateral relations to avoid remarks that might upset North Korea.

At the summit, Jiang emphasized “balanced diplomacy,” saying that both South and North Korea were friends of China and that Beijing did not seek to lean toward either side.

Yonhap