Park Byeong-seug, former Speaker of the National Assembly and head of President Lee’s special delegation to China, speaks at a press conference at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing on the 26th. August 26, 2025. [Provided by the Beijing Correspondent Joint Press Corps]

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Soo-hyun = Park Byeong-seug, former Speaker of the National Assembly and head of President Lee Jae-myung's special delegation to China, stated on the 26th that he expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit South Korea in October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

However, he noted that the two sides confirmed a gap in their perceptions regarding the opening of cultural content, such as the lifting of China’s "Hallyu ban" (restrictions on Korean culture), which had been a point of high anticipation. He added that it appears further time will be needed, as Chinese leaders raised concerns about the need for measures to address anti-Chinese sentiment within South Korea.

At a press conference held at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing that afternoon, head of the delegation Park addressed the request for President Xi’s attendance at the APEC summit, which was conveyed through a personal letter from President Lee: "I reiterated our hope that President Xi will visit, and I believe he will come. Unless there is a catastrophic situation, I expect him to attend."

When asked about reciprocal presidential visits, including President Lee’s trip to China, he replied, "From our perspective, since President Xi has not visited (South Korea) in 11 years while our president has visited (China) several times, it is our wish that President Xi visit South Korea first."

President Xi has not visited South Korea since his trip in July 2014, during the Park Geun-hye administration.

Delegation head Park also mentioned that he had requested that Foreign Minister Wang Yi visit South Korea prior to President Xi’s visit. "Minister Wang said he would review his schedule. I understand that Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul is also planning a visit to China," he reported.

The special delegation visited China at a time when President Lee is engaged in a South Korea-U.S. summit amidst ongoing U.S.-China tensions.

Regarding whether there was an exchange of views on the Lee Jae-myung administration's "balanced diplomacy" between the U.S. and China, Park stated, "I told (the Chinese side) that managing U.S.-China relations well would also be helpful for South Korea-China relations."

He further described the atmosphere as one where the Chinese leadership refrained from directly targeting South Korea, opting not to take issue with the South Korea-U.S. summit, and instead focusing on broad principles regarding South Korea-China and U.S.-China relations.

On the issue of the Korean Peninsula, Park explained that China maintained its consistent position, adding that "there was clear sympathy from the Chinese side regarding President Lee Jae-myung’s three principles."

This is interpreted to mean that China expressed agreement with President Lee’s Liberation Day speech on the 15th, in which he stated, "We respect the regime of the North, will not pursue any form of unification by absorption, and have no intention of engaging in any hostile acts."

Although the delegation also requested the lifting of China’s "Hallyu ban" and the opening of cultural content, Park remarked that they "confirmed there are mountains left to climb."

In this regard, he noted that Chinese leaders pointed to anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea.

Park said, "Almost every Chinese leader (we met during the visit) raised the issue of anti-Chinese sentiment in a very strong tone. They argued that inciting groundless anti-Chinese sentiment harms bilateral friendship and therefore requires measures to be taken. (The delegation) responded that we intend to curb actions that exceed the freedom of expression guaranteed by our Constitution and laws."

Park added, "China's position is to expand exchanges in beneficial areas, but it seems (the type of) 'beneficial and healthy culture' they envision is different from ours. It appears that more time and greater mutual understanding are needed (for cultural opening between the two countries)."

He further added, "To promote friendly sentiment between the two peoples, we proposed that Seoul National University and Peking University conduct joint research on the causes and solutions for anti-Chinese and anti-Korean sentiments, and we received positive agreement."

The delegation stated that this visit led to progress regarding China's export controls on rare earths, with the Chinese side mentioning that if South Korean companies submit applications, a certain amount will be processed without issue. However, no specific details were provided, citing equity issues with other countries.

Delegation head Park said, "We conveyed the opinion that they should strengthen cooperation on critical minerals such as rare earths, which our companies are interested in, and there has been progress such as expedited customs clearance measures. Minister of Commerce (Wang Wentao) said that if there are any obstacles to business regarding rare earths, we should contact the Ministry of Commerce and they will actively resolve them."

He also stated that China responded positively to South Korea's request to broaden the scope of materials available for review at the Dalian City Archives regarding the search for the remains of independence activist Ahn Jung-geun.

Park explained, "We contacted the Dalian Archives about 12 years ago, but the scope (of document access) was too narrow to find any clues. I said that we should allow broader access—whether by South Korea alone, jointly by South Korea and China, or by the two Koreas—so that we can find clues. We received a promise of cooperation on this matter."

The special delegation, which included Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jeong, as well as Noh Jae-heon, Chairman of the East Asia Culture Center and son of former President Roh Tae-woo, met with Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China and Foreign Minister, on the 24th, the first day of the visit, to deliver a personal letter from President Lee to President Xi Jinping.

On the 25th, they met with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao to urge the swift negotiation of the second phase of the South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the smooth supply of critical minerals like rare earths.

On the final day, the 26th, they met with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (the third-highest ranking official in China) and Vice President Han Zheng, where they shared a consensus on maturing the South Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership based on mutual trust.

However, the delegation concluded its schedule without meeting President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Qiang.

Regarding the failure to meet with President Xi, Park remained cautious, saying, "The Chinese side only cited scheduling reasons. I believe the background behind this is a matter of interpretation and analysis."

inishmore@yna.co.kr

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