Particle.news
Download on the App Store

South Korea's Lee Urges Xi to Mediate on North Korea as China Ties Reset

Beijing's call for patience leaves progress contingent on forthcoming working‑level talks.

Overview

  • President Lee Jae Myung said he asked Xi Jinping to act as a mediator on Korean Peninsula issues, and reported that the Chinese side said it would try while stressing patience.
  • Lee publicly proposed a freeze of North Korea’s nuclear programme in exchange for compensation as a first step toward denuclearization, without detailing terms or timelines.
  • Seoul and Beijing agreed to hold working- and vice‑minister‑level discussions on Yellow Sea maritime delimitation and to address Chinese structures in overlapping waters.
  • Both sides signaled a gradual easing of China’s long‑denied curbs on Korean cultural content, with instructions for working‑level consultations but no concrete commitments.
  • The four‑day state visit produced about 14 MOUs and business outreach, and concluded in Shanghai with Lee’s visits to historical sites and a venture and startup summit.