KB News Desk
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began a two-day visit to South Korea on Wednesday for a series of meetings with President Lee Jae Myung and Seoul’s top foreign policy officials, with attention focused on whether Seoul can draw Beijing into its newly proposed multiparty discussions on formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War.
Wang is set to meet Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday evening, and with Lee and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac on Thursday, putting him in talks with all three of Seoul’s key figures handling foreign and security policy.
The visit comes at a particularly fluid moment on the Korean Peninsula — Lee is seeking to advance his vision of peaceful coexistence with North Korea while US President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in direct engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Wang and Cho are scheduled to hold talks Wednesday followed by an official dinner. The discussions are expected to cover South Korea-China relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and regional and international affairs.
On Thursday, Wang will pay a courtesy call on Lee at Cheong Wa Dae, where the two are expected to discuss the future direction of South Korea-China relations and the regional security environment. Lee is also expected to convey his greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Wang will then hold separate talks and a luncheon with Wi to discuss bilateral relations, the Korean Peninsula and other regional and international issues.
Wang also serves as director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, making him effectively China’s top foreign policy official and Wi’s counterpart in high-level strategic consultations.
But the rapidly shifting diplomatic landscape surrounding North Korea is likely to dominate attention throughout the visit.
In his Liberation Day address Saturday, Lee proposed that the concerned parties begin discussions on formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War, pledging to work toward replacing what he called the peninsula’s “unstable armistice system” with a peace regime.
The Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.
China would inevitably be a major player in any process to formally end the war. The armistice was signed in July 1953 by representatives of the US-led United Nations Command, the North Korean military and the Chinese People’s Volunteers.
A Seoul Foreign Ministry official said earlier this week that Lee’s broader peace initiative is expected to come up during Wang’s meetings.
“As the president has laid out his vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula, discussions are expected to take place on this matter,” the official said.
The diplomatic backdrop has shifted further in recent days as Trump has stepped up signals that he wants to revive engagement with Kim.
Trump ordered a substantial reduction in South Korea-US combined military exercises over the weekend, citing their cost and his “very good relationship” with the North Korean leader.
He went further Tuesday, saying Kim had responded to his overture for dialogue. Asked about the status of his interactions with Kim, Trump described them as “very positive,” although he did not explain when or how the two sides had communicated.
The Wall Street Journal also reported Tuesday (US time) that Trump is seeking another in-person meeting with Kim as early as this fall, potentially around his planned trip to China.
Against that backdrop, analysts say Wang’s visit could test whether Beijing is prepared to play a more active role in renewed diplomacy with Pyongyang.
“Given the rapidly changing geopolitical environment in Northeast Asia over the past seven months, Wang’s visit could serve as a litmus test of whether China’s strategy toward the Korean Peninsula is changing,” said You Hyun-chung, an associate research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy.
In her latest report released Wednesday, You said the key would be less whether Wang explicitly invokes “denuclearization” than how strongly he emphasizes “peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” a “political settlement” and China’s “constructive role.”
“If Wang emphasizes a political solution and China’s constructive role while visiting South Korea at a time when North Korea-China relations are recovering, it could be interpreted as a signal that China intends to play a role in managing tensions on the peninsula and facilitating a resumption of dialogue,” she said.
She added that Seoul should seek to use China’s improved access to Pyongyang to support dialogue and restrain further advances in North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
“If Seoul can secure a positive response from Beijing during Wang’s visit, it could help move Lee’s Korean Peninsula peace initiative beyond a declaratory proposal toward substantive consultations among the countries concerned,” You said.
Beyond North Korea, Wang’s visit is also expected to serve as an opportunity for Seoul and Beijing to take stock of bilateral relations and prepare for further high-level exchanges.
Lee and Xi have met twice since Lee took office — first in Gyeongju in November 2025 and again in Beijing in January. China is scheduled to host this year’s APEC summit in Shenzhen in November, providing another potential opportunity for high-level diplomacy.
Wang’s trip marks his first official visit to South Korea since September 2021.
