China is looking for Korea close to North Korea.A green light for Korea-China relations?

[Anchor]
Relations between North Korea and Russia seem to be getting closer as North Korea has recently dispatched troops to help Russia in the war in Ukraine.

On the other hand, relations between North Korea and China have been estranged, while China is interested in improving Korea-China relations, but the complex domestic situation is a variable.

Reporter Hong Sun-ki reports.

[Reporter]
At the end of last year, North Korea largely reported on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun that Russian President Putin sent to Chairman Kim Jong-un.

In any year, overseas leaders gathered and reported the New Year's cards, but this time, as if emphasizing the ever-closer relationship between North Korea and Russia, only Putin's New Year's cards were reported separately.

Putin has praised the relationship between North Korea and Russia, saying they have reached a new level of quality.

Relations between North Korea and Russia seem to be getting closer after North Korea declared that it would stay with Russia until the end of the war in Ukraine.

[Choi Sun-hee/North Korean Foreign Minister (November last year): I have no doubt that we will achieve victory, and I affirm that we will always be with our Russian comrades until the day of victory.]

On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping's greeting cards, which were introduced before Putin until last year, were introduced this time along with other overseas leaders' greeting cards.

It is a symbolic figure that indicates that the relationship between North Korea and China is becoming estranged as the relationship between North Korea and Russia gets closer.

At the end of last year, when relations between North Korea and Russia were getting closer, China announced a surprise exemption for Korean people to visit China.

There is also an aspect to revitalize China's domestic demand, but in terms of Korea-China relations, which have been frozen due to the ban on Korea, it is seen as a clear signal to improve relations.

As if to respond to this, the Korean government immediately took out a visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists.

[Han Deok-soo/Prime Minister (last month's 26th): We will actively review the implementation of the visa-free test for Chinese group tourists and implement it as soon as possible.]

Expectations are higher than ever that Korea-China relations, which have been frozen for more than a decade, will change as President Xi Jinping is seeking to visit Korea this year.

However, it seems unclear whether the atmosphere of improving Korea-China relations, which has been visited for a long time, will gain momentum due to the chaotic domestic situation due to the emergency martial law and the impeachment of the prime minister following the president.

This is YTN Hong Seon-gi.