Foreign Minister Cho Hyun Holds ROK-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting with Wang Yi in Beijing
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will hold a ROK-China foreign ministers' meeting on the 13th in Beijing with Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and China's Foreign Minister. The meeting is expected to cover bilateral relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula. According to the Foreign Ministry, the visit to China comes at Wang's invitation, reciprocating his trip to Seoul last August. Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon announced this at a regular briefing on the 12th, noting that the meeting marks the first ROK-China foreign ministers' talks in three months. Park said the two sides plan to broadly discuss issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations and regional dynamics centered on the Korean Peninsula, ahead of President Lee Jae-myung's attendance at the APEC summit.
The issue of Chinese structures built in the Yellow Sea will also be on the agenda. A senior ministry official said of the matter, "This is an issue we have continuously raised and discussed with the Chinese side," adding that key issues of concern to both countries are expected to be brought up at the foreign ministers' meeting. China's ban on Korean Wave content, known as the "Hallyu ban" (限韓令), may also be raised. The official said it could come up in the context of cultural exchanges, but it is hard to predict whether it will actually be raised.
The two sides are expected to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and North Korea's denuclearization. Citing recent developments around the peninsula, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's and Workers' Party Secretary Kim Sung-nam's visits to China, the official said the meeting will offer an opportunity to discuss the Korean Peninsula situation and explain the government's policy of peaceful coexistence on the peninsula.
On the possibility of North Korea-U.S. talks on the sidelines of APEC, spokesperson Park said, "For now, we see the likelihood of such talks being actively pursued as low," while adding that the ministry is monitoring relevant developments. Park reaffirmed the government's basic position of hoping for a virtuous cycle of stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula through the resumption of North Korea-U.S. dialogue.
