Korea, China in talks over possible visit by Chinese foreign minister to Seoul

Korea and China are in close consultations over a possible visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Seoul, officials said Tuesday.

In January, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said he was seeking to meet one-on-one with Wang sometime "in the first quarter," raising the possibility of Wang traveling to Seoul. But no such meeting has taken place.

"Korea and China have been maintaining close working-level consultations regarding exchanges between their foreign ministers," Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.

"We welcome Wang's potential visit as part of follow-up measures to implement agreements reached at the Korea-China summit," it added.

The remarks came after local media reported that the two sides are discussing details of a possible trip by Wang to Korea as early as next month.

The Chinese Embassy in Seoul also said both sides remain in communication through diplomatic channels regarding the issue.

"Both sides are looking forward to Wang's visit to Korea and will continue to communicate through diplomatic channels," the embassy said in a statement sent to Yonhap News Agency.

If realized, the trip would mark the latest high-level diplomatic exchange between Seoul and Beijing, as the two countries seek to maintain communication and follow up on agreements reached by their leaders.

Wang last visited Korea in November 2023 to attend a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting involving Korea, China and Japan.

Yonhap