Ambassador to China "Possibility of Xi Jinping's visit to Korea as APEC's occasion next year"

Korean Ambassador to China Jeong Jae-ho said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and APEC summit to be held in Gyeongju next year.

Ambassador Chung responded to the relevant question at the parliamentary inspection of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at the Embassy in Beijing today.

Ambassador Chung said that when Xi met with Yoon Suk Yeol's president in November 2022, he would consider visiting Korea when the COVID-19 is over, and explained that it would be a good opportunity because he has mainly participated in APEC.

He added that it would be better if President Xi visited both sides in the first half of the year before APEC.

However, he drew a line on the ruling party lawmaker's point that President Yoon Suk Yeol needs to visit China first in order to take the lead in resolving Korea-China relations.

Ambassador Chung replied that it would be appropriate to keep China's promise first, saying that the Korean president has visited China six times since 2013, and that the Chinese leader has visited Korea once.