Before a military parade in Beijing, Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, briefly met and exchanged greetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Woo is attending the 80th anniversary of China’s Victory Day upon invitation from the Chinese government. This encounter marked a significant moment, as it was the first meeting between a high-ranking South Korean official and the North Korean leader since the inauguration of President Lee Jae-myung’s administration.
Woo, who had previously met Kim during a 2018 inter-Korean summit dinner, acknowledged Kim by saying, “It’s been 7 years since we last met,” to which Kim only replied, “Yes.” Though the interaction was brief, it was noteworthy given the tense inter-Korean relations since the 2019 Hanoi summit collapse and the subsequent severing of communication channels under South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration. In contrast, the Lee administration is showing conciliatory gestures, such as halting loudspeaker broadcasts to North Korea.
Additionally, Woo met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He invited Xi to the upcoming APEC summit in Gyeongju and discussed bilateral issues. With Putin, Woo talked about peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, expressing hope for establishing peace amid current challenges.
Woo’s delegation, comprising lawmakers from both the Democratic Party and the National Innovation Party, reported tight security and limited interaction opportunities with North Korean officials during the event.