[COVER STORY] 'Taiwan Pavilion' issue could become another THAAD row: Chinese official

The controversy surrounding the name of a Taiwanese exhibition venue at the Gwangju Biennale may escalate into a diplomatic clash between South Korea and China, according to Chinese officials. The use of "Taiwan Pavilion" by participating Taiwanese artists, as permitted by the biennale organizers, is deemed a violation of China's "One China" principle, with the decision breaching a "red line."

Chinese authorities warned that the impact on the bilateral relations between South Korea and China could be as significant as the 2017 diplomatic dispute over the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system. On Thursday, China lodged a protest through a press release, criticizing the Gwangju Biennale Foundation for allowing Taiwanese artists to use the name "Taiwan Pavilion" at the international art event, instead of the official name, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA).

Following the release, Chinese artists officially announced their withdrawal from the exhibition. The Chinese embassy stated that this incident "directly damages the political base of China's relations with South Korea."