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

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

The Blue House stated, "We are closely monitoring the situation and expect China to take a constructive role regarding the Korean Peninsula issues."

The government added that it hopes exchanges between North Korea and China will contribute positively to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, emphasizing ongoing diplomatic communication with China on these matters.

A senior official from the Blue House told reporters that they do not view Xi's visit as a sign of a North Korea-China-Russia alliance, but rather as a high-level exchange between North Korea and China.

The official clarified, "We do not interpret this as a movement involving the three countries, and we are uncertain how it connects to the U.S.-China summit."

A representative from the Unification Ministry stated, "Our policy for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula supports dialogue and seeks to avoid confrontation. We hope President Xi's visit will advance peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia."

Earlier, a spokesperson for the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China announced that Xi will 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 Jong Un took power and the first since June 2019. The last meeting between the leaders of North Korea and China occurred about nine months ago when Kim visited Beijing to attend the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.