Seoul: South Korea considers the White House's recent comments about China's interference in democracies, made after the presidential election, as a separate issue unrelated to the election itself, a Seoul official said Thursday. Following South Korea's presidential election Tuesday, a White House official stated that while "South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world."

According to Yonhap News Agency, the comments came in response to a query asking for remarks after Tuesday's election. "The emphasis was on the fact that a free and fair election was held in South Korea," a foreign ministry official in Seoul commented. "We consider the mention of China in the comments as a separate issue unrelated to the Korean presidential election."

The White House's comments left Seoul puzzled, as it is considered unusual to reference a third country in a message concerning bilateral relations. Some observers in Seoul have interpreted the remarks as the U.S. expressing doubt about the new government of President Lee Jae-myung on its foreign policy stance amid growing strategic rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Lee has made remarks in the past that were seen as leaning closer to China than to the U.S.

The ministry official added that the U.S. position on the presidential election was expressed through U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's congratulatory statement to Lee. Congratulating Lee on his election win, Rubio highlighted the shared commitment to the alliance and voiced his desire to deepen their trilateral cooperation with Japan.