When Yuan was replaced by Ming, the ruling class in Korea also refused to acknowledge the new ruler of central plain and even tried to invade Liaodong while Ming was still new and shaky. Eventually a internal revolt took place and the pro-Ming faction deposed the pro-Yuan and only then did Korea acknowledge Ming.
Why was there so much loyalty to horse riding barbarians? Because during the Yuan-dynasty the Korean ruling class intermarried with Mongol nobilities, so their interests are co-mingled, by blood even. It's not possible for these people to switch their allegiance to Ming because even if they want to there will be other ambitious people around them without that historical baggage who can be more pro-Ming than they are. That's why even though Yuan has collapsed in China they still cling onto the Mongols.
It's the same situation here. If you are imagining China's rising hard power will eventually cause South Korea to switch camp, yes it will. But it doesn't mean the same gang in power now will still be in power after that flip. Most likely the flip will happen with some sort of internal revolt or coup just as it happened historically. That's why they're so upset when China was meeting the opposition leader because they know what that meeting signifies. They know with the Korean politics as it is if they are deposed by pro-China faction at best they can look at serious jail time and at worst a bullet 5th Republic style.
Historically Japan can make this pivot a lot easier, their ruling class is quite capable of turning on a dime. You only need to see how smoothly it happened at the end of WW2 when they switched from Imperial Japan to Japan the US colony without having their elites purged. In this case however the transition is more difficult since their elite is explicitly tied to Imperial Japan with the shrine and everything and China will not accept a team switch with the same elite still in charge. That's why for Japanese elite US hegemony is also life and death and they are willing to go down with the ship.
Why was there so much loyalty to horse riding barbarians? Because during the Yuan-dynasty the Korean ruling class intermarried with Mongol nobilities, so their interests are co-mingled, by blood even. It's not possible for these people to switch their allegiance to Ming because even if they want to there will be other ambitious people around them without that historical baggage who can be more pro-Ming than they are. That's why even though Yuan has collapsed in China they still cling onto the Mongols.
It's the same situation here. If you are imagining China's rising hard power will eventually cause South Korea to switch camp, yes it will. But it doesn't mean the same gang in power now will still be in power after that flip. Most likely the flip will happen with some sort of internal revolt or coup just as it happened historically. That's why they're so upset when China was meeting the opposition leader because they know what that meeting signifies. They know with the Korean politics as it is if they are deposed by pro-China faction at best they can look at serious jail time and at worst a bullet 5th Republic style.
Historically Japan can make this pivot a lot easier, their ruling class is quite capable of turning on a dime. You only need to see how smoothly it happened at the end of WW2 when they switched from Imperial Japan to Japan the US colony without having their elites purged. In this case however the transition is more difficult since their elite is explicitly tied to Imperial Japan with the shrine and everything and China will not accept a team switch with the same elite still in charge. That's why for Japanese elite US hegemony is also life and death and they are willing to go down with the ship.
