Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Taiwan plans to review its relations with South Korea, especially its huge bilateral trade deficit, as Seoul has yet to correct its reference to Taiwan as being a part of China on its newly launched e-Arrival card system despite protests from Taipei.
"We reiterated our call in asking Korea to swiftly amend the error, and at the same time we will conduct a full review of our bilateral relationship," said Richard Liu (劉昆豪), deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, on Tuesday at a press conference.
He said MOFA has taken note that there is a huge trade deficit between the two countries, showing that two-way ties are not on an equal footing, without elaborating.
He was referring to the fact that in 2024, Taiwan's trade deficit with South Korea rose to US$22.9 billion, the largest trade deficit Taiwan had with any country in the world, due mostly to large net imports of integrated circuits.
Liu's statement came after MOFA called on Seoul last week to correct the way Taiwan is listed in the e-Arrival card system launched in February, saying the current designation downgrades the country's status.
South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by 2026. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country.
MOFA said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers who reported that the system lists Taiwan as "China (Taiwan)" in dropdown menus for both "place of departure" and "next destination."
The ministry said it has repeatedly asked Seoul to fix the "wrongful" listing since the system's launch, but has yet to receive a positive response.
Previously commenting on Taiwan's appeal, the South Korean foreign ministry told CNA on Dec. 5 that its government continued to maintain unofficial yet practical relations with Taiwan.
The Korean side will consider all factors and continue to engage in talks with related units regarding the listing of Taiwan in its e-Arrival card system, it said in a written response to CNA in Korean.
Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign, independent country that has never been under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the PRC was founded in 1949.
MOFA reiterated last week that the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the PRC are not subordinate to each other, and it urged the South Korean government to correct the dropdown menus as soon as possible to avoid harming bilateral ties.
According to government data, Taiwan and South Korea recorded 2.47 million two-way visits in 2024, including 1.4 million trips made by Taiwanese travelers.
