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Source: All statements in this article have reliable sources of information contained in the article and at the end.

The game between China and the United States has involved all fields from science and technology to trade. Every confrontation attracts the attention of the world.

However, in this fierce struggle, the losers have silently emerged.

It is not the two great powers, but those countries that have failed to clearly judge the situation and go wrong, and South Korea is typical of them.

South Korea tried to keep the U.S.-China balance, but failed to anticipate the risks in the game.

With the implementation of China's counter-measures, South Korea's economy and industrial chain have begun to suffer a heavy blow, and the former strategic choices are bringing consequences that cannot be ignored.

South Korea was once one of the loyal allies of the United States in Asia, but now its economic destiny is closely linked to China, especially in the fields of shipbuilding, energy and raw materials.

Havana Ocean Co., a South Korean shipbuilding giant with deep ties to the United States, has become the most contradictory focus in this global game.

South Korea's economic growth has external dependence that cannot be ignored, and the most significant manifestation of this dependence is its high dependence on China's raw materials.

Steel, graphics, aluminum and other minerals are the lifeline that supports the Korean manufacturing and shipbuilding industry.

And the South Korean government made a choice at a critical moment, and it stood by the United States.

Supporting the United States 'actions to "sanction" China, we hope to win the favor of the United States and break through the "crack" in the Sino-US game.

From the surface, this decision seems understandable, with more market and technical support on the side of the United States.

However, when South Korea made this decision, it ignored the deep-seated risks that were difficult to detect.

South Korea¡¯s shipbuilding industry has long relied on China¡¯s supplies of steel, aluminum and other raw materials.

Even more worrying, South Korea is almost unable to get rid of its dependence on China, with its dependence in some critical areas reaching a staggering 97 percent.

However, the South Korean government lacks sufficient vigilance about this economic reality.

After helping the U.S. ¡°pressure¡± the Chinese shipbuilding industry and supporting the U.S. 301 investigation.

South Korea has ignored a fatal fact. It has long been deeply intertwined with China's industrial chain.

If the United States imposes sanctions on China and China "counters" South Korea, South Korea will become extremely vulnerable between the two major economies.

On October 14, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce suddenly announced the decision to take countermeasures against five U.S. subsidiaries of the company.

This decision could be said to be unexpected in South Korea, especially in the context of the gradual warming of the game.

China's countermeasures plunged South Korea into unprecedented diplomatic and economic difficulties overnight.

An announcement issued by China's Ministry of Commerce pointed out that the United States has conducted a 301 investigation into China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries.

And a series of measures have been taken, which seriously violates international law and the basic norms of international relations.

Hangzhou Marine Co., Ltd. has worked closely with the U.S. government to support its investigation activities, so China decided to implement countermeasures.

China's countermeasures are simple and direct, prohibiting organizations and individuals in China from engaging in any form of transactions and cooperation with these five subsidiaries.

For South Korean companies that rely on the Chinese market, this is undoubtedly a "sick blow."

For Hanwha Ocean, as one of the Korean enterprises in the second largest shipbuilding country in the world, its predicament is particularly severe.

Faced with China's counter-measures, the Korean government and business circles responded quickly in an attempt to save the situation.

The South Korean Presidential Chamber said the government has launched economic and trade communication channels with China to try to minimize the economic losses that South Korean companies may suffer.

The South Korean presidential chamber also said it would consider whether China¡¯s countermeasures would affect the ¡°Make the American shipbuilding industry great again¡± project.

However, while South Korea is trying to maintain dialogue with China to control losses, its contradictory stance is unavoidable.

Not only has South Korea openly supported anti-China sanctions in the presence of the United States, but it is also unable to escape China¡¯s enormous influence on its economy.

However, the South Korean government is well aware that China is the world's largest exporter of steel and the world's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas.

South Korea's high value-added shipbuilding projects, especially liquefied natural gas carriers, also rely heavily on demand from the China market.

In a situation like this, South Korea¡¯s foreign policy seems to expose a major strategic mistake.

No matter how it adjusts, it cannot completely separate itself from China's industrial chain. Especially for key raw materials, South Korea cannot get rid of its dependence on China.

Hanwha Marine Co., Ltd. was once a continuation of South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine. As a world-renowned shipbuilding company, its business covers the world.

However, in recent years, Hanwha Ocean has gradually devoted more energy to the US market.

U.S. demand in the fields of ships, marine engineering and military equipment provides a stable market for the Hunan Ocean.

Moreover, the relationship between Hanwha Ocean and American enterprises has become closer and closer as early as the past few years, especially in the field of military equipment manufacturing.

So when the U.S. launched its 301 inquiry into China, the Hanoi Ocean did not remain neutral, instead choosing to launch sanctions against China with the U.S.

On the surface, this decision is to suppress China with the help of the power of the United States, but in the long run, this strategy pushes it to a head-on conflict with China's interests.

Today, the South Korean economy is facing unprecedented challenges.

The "stand-up" strategy in the Sino-American game not only did not bring practical benefits to South Korea, but instead caught it in a situation of "isolation".

South Korea's shipbuilding industry once relied on the low-price advantage of Chinese steel, but with the deepening of the Sino-US game, whether South Korea can rely on China again has become a big question.

Is it too late for the South Korean authorities to reflect? At a time when cooperation with China is deepening day by day.

If South Korea continues to stand on the side of the United States and deviates from China, it will face more industrial gaps and resource shortages.

And if we re-examine economic cooperation with China, how will South Korea respond to the diplomatic game with the United States?

South Korea's position in the global economic structure is no longer a simple "gap between the United States and China".

With the warming of the Sino-American games, the choices facing South Korea are becoming more and more difficult.

In this game, South Korea should reflect on its economic positioning and reassess its relations with China and the United States, instead of blindly following one side.

The United States may bring short-term benefits to South Korea, but the huge risk behind the industrial chain cannot be ignored.

Source of information

Hunan Daily 2025-10-14 "Ministry of Commerce: Take countermeasures against five relevant U.S. subsidiaries of Hunan Ocean Corporation"

2025-10-15: South Korea's response after China's announcement of countermeasures