In a fight between whales, South Koreans sometimes remark mournfully, the shrimp’s back is broken.
The saying is often used to refer to the plight of Korea itself, trapped between the world’s great powers. Around the turn of the 20th century, years of diplomatic skulduggery ended with Russia and the US acquiescing in Japan’s colonisation of Korea. A generation later, bitter distrust between Moscow and Washington sliced the country through the middle.
So Seoul can be forgiven its discomfort as it finds itself caught at the centre of the strategic struggle between China and the US. Both are critical relationships: the former is overwhelmingly South Korea’s biggest economic partner; military backing from the latter saves what could otherwise be the crippling costs of defending itself against North Korea.