South Korea Expects Constructive Role from China Ahead of Xi Jinping's Visit to North Korea

The South Korean government expressed hope on June 5 that Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to North Korea will play a constructive role in regional stability.

A Blue House official stated in response to inquiries, "The government is closely monitoring related developments and expects China to take a constructive role regarding issues on the Korean Peninsula."

The official added, "We hope that exchanges between North Korea and China will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and we are maintaining close communication with China through diplomatic channels regarding these matters."

A Unification Ministry official remarked, "Our policy for peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula supports dialogue and seeks to avoid confrontation. We hope President Xi's visit will advance peace and coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and, by extension, in Northeast Asia."

Earlier, a spokesperson for the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China announced that Xi would visit North Korea from June 8 to 9 at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission.

This visit marks Xi's second trip to North Korea since Kim's rise to power and the first since June 2019. It comes approximately nine months after Kim's visit to Beijing in September of last year to attend the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.