South Korean President Lee Jae Myung turned to China for help in breaking the diplomatic impasse with North Korea, only to be publicly rebuffed by Pyongyang. Lee asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help resume talks during a state summit in Gyeongju.
Lee, who has promised to reduce tensions with the North, told Xi he was “positive” about the conditions for engagement. He is advocating for a phased denuclearisation process, starting with a freeze on nuclear development.
North Korea, a military and economic ally of China, responded swiftly and negatively. A statement from Pyongyang dismissed the denuclearisation agenda as a “pipe dream” and reaffirmed its position of never talking to the South, which it has labeled its “main enemy.”
President Xi’s visit, his first in 11 years, came after an APEC forum. He told Lee that Beijing “attaches great importance” to their relations. The leaders signed seven agreements, including a currency swap, and Xi called for cooperation on AI and green industries.
Despite Lee’s focus on North Korea, Chinese state media reports on the summit did not mention the issue. A South Korean official said both sides agreed that US-North Korea dialogue was the most important path forward, a track North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has said he might consider if Washington drops its denuclearisation demands.