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Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Lee invites Xi to APEC summit as both vow to forge 'new ties'
Leaders agree to improve mutual sentiment by expanding people-to-people exchanges South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has formally invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to attend this year's APEC summit in South Korea, as both leaders pledged to chart a new course in bilateral relations, the presidential office in Seoul said Tuesday. Lee and Xi agreed on the need for close cooperation during their 30-minute first phone call, which began at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, six days after Lee's inauguration on June 4, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said during a televised press briefing. "The two leaders agreed to maintain close communication across various fields to forge new Korea–China relations, taking the inauguration of the new Korean administration as an opportunity," Kang said. The introductory phone call came at a critical juncture as this year holds particular significance for Seoul-Beijing ties, with expectations rising for Xi's first visit to South Korea since July 2014, on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. South Korea will host the APEC summit in early November in the city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, while China will host the summit next year. "The two leaders also agreed on the need for close cooperation between Korea and China — this year's and next year's respective APEC hosts — to ensure the successful hosting of the APEC summit in Gyeongju," Kang said. "President Lee invited President Xi to the APEC summit in Gyeongju this November, expressing his hope for closer consultations with President Xi to further advance bilateral relations," Kang added. The phone call also touched upon China's role in resolving the nuclear issue. Kang explained: "Lee asked China to play a constructive role in achieving denuclearization and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula." "In response, President Xi stated that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are in the common interest of both (South) Korea and China, and that China will make efforts to help resolve the issue and promote peace and stability on the peninsula," Kang told the briefing. Another key topic of discussion was improving Seoul–Beijing ties across the board, including addressing the strained public sentiment between the two countries. Kang also underscored that the two leaders 'pledged to work together to deliver tangible results in practical areas such as economic cooperation — outcomes that the people of both countries can genuinely experience.' The two leaders 'agreed to strengthen mutual communication and expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to enhance friendly sentiment between their citizens,' Kang added. Lee expressed his hopes for "pursuing active exchanges and cooperation across a wide range of fields — including the economy, security, culture, and people-to-people exchanges — on the basis of mutual benefit and equality," according to Kang. Kang further explained that the phone call was 'conducted in a cordial and amicable atmosphere,' based on the commonality that both Lee and Xi began their political careers at the local level. According to an announcement from the Chinese government, Xi called for 'promoting the China–South Korea strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level' during the phone call, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of developing ties between Seoul and Beijing. Xi also stressed the need to 'deepen people-to-people exchanges to increase mutual understanding and consolidate the foundation of public support,' as well as to 'strengthen exchanges at all levels and in all fields to enhance strategic mutual trust,' Beijing added. China has implemented a visa-free policy for South Korean passport holders, effective from November of last year until the end of this year, to promote people-to-people exchanges. Under this policy, South Korean nationals entering China for business, tourism, family visits, or transit can stay without a visa for up to 15 days. The sequence of Lee's phone calls with the leaders of the US, China, and Japan has drawn close attention — particularly regarding whether he would speak with Xi or Ishiba first. Xi is the third leader with whom Lee has held a phone call since his inauguration on June 4, which took place immediately after the June 3 snap election, with no transition period. Lee previously spoke for around 20 minutes with US President Donald Trump on June 6 and for 25 minutes with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday. With Trump having confirmed his attendance at the G7 summit and Ishiba also expected to participate as Japan's representative, Lee will attend the summit in Alberta, Canada, on June 16–17 as an observer, at the invitation of the Canadian hosts. This sets the stage for his first in-person interactions with both leaders.
Korea Herald
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
'Remove Xi Jinping collection': Man arrested for SNU library disturbance
Man caused disturbance with a baton, demanding removal of room of books, DVDs about China A man in his 40s has been arrested for a violent outburst at a library in Seoul National University, demanding the removal of a collection named after Chinese President Xi Jinping. He is being held on suspicion of possessing a dangerous weapon in public area without justifiable reason, special violence and special intimidation — "special" is used for aggravated offences involving a weapon — according to Seoul Gwanak Police Station. The suspect is accused of a violent act at around 12:15 p.m. last Friday at the Central Library of the SNU, specifically at the Xi Jinping Collection Room on the fourth floor, which consists of China focused books and other materials. He purportedly shouted, "Why is a Xi Jinping archive here?" and argued that the room should immediately be closed. The suspect was found in possession of another weapon by police, who arrested him on site after shooting him with a stun gun. No injuries occurred due to the incident. It was found that the suspect was not a member of the school, and had not been intoxicated at the time of the crime. A warrant for his continued arrest was issued by local court Sunday and authorizes the suspect to be detained for further investigation for up to 10 days by the police, though prosecutors can hold him for longer. The Xi Jinping room of the library in SNU, widely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea, opened in 2015, with 9,297 books and 755 DVDs about China and ethnic Chinese living here that Xi pledged to donate in his 2014 visit here, under administration of ex-President Park Geun-hye. Anti-China sentiment Officials are investigating exactly why the suspect committed the crime, but researches indicate that anti-China sentiment here in recent years remains fairly high, although possibly not as high as few years ago. Hankook Research has conducted annual surveys on South Korean sentiment toward China since 2023. In 2024, it showed that 30 percent of respondents regarded China as an enemy while only 8 percent regarded it as a friend. This was lower than 44 percent thinking of the country as an enemy in the 2023 survey. The vast majority of those who responded thought that the country was neither friend or foe to South Korea. In the 2025 survey, 46 percent of the respondent said that Seoul-Beijing relations were neither good or bad, as opposed to 45 percent who thought it was bad. It indicated that anti-China sentiment was not as bad as in 2023, when 73 percent of the respondents thought the relations between two countries was bad and 20 percent said it was neither good or bad. A small percentage of respondents thought South Korea had good relations with China, at 2 percent in both 2023 and 2024, rising to 6 percent in 2025. While not as high as before, the 2025 survey indicated that the majority of people here regarded China as a threat to the reunification of the Koreas, national security and the economy, 63 percent, 60 percent, and 51 percent, respectively. In a possibly related incident, a 42-year-old Korean dressed up as Marvel Comics character Captain America attempted to gain unauthorized access to the Chinese Embassy in Seoul in February. He later said his actions were intended to demonstrate the anti-China sentiment in the country. The man, who turned out to be supporter of now-ousted ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, blocked the elevator with other supporters, urging embassy employees and reporters to curse at Xi and liberal politician Lee Jae-myung.
