“Jeong Jae-ho, the South Korean ambassador to China, predicted that the likelihood of Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting South Korea has increased, considering the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to be held in Gyeongju in November next year. Ambassador Jeong made this statement during the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit held at the South Korean Embassy in Beijing this morning.
Ambassador Jeong responded to Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun of the People Power Party’s suggestion that before the APEC summit to restore South Korea-China relations, President Yoon Suk-yeol should visit China first. He stated, ‘The South Korean president has visited China six times from 2013 until now, while Chinese leaders have only visited South Korea once. President Xi Jinping had expressed his intention to visit Korea, and in September last year, Premier Li Keqiang also mentioned considering visiting soon. Therefore, it would be appropriate for China to fulfill its promises first.’
Ambassador Jeong further emphasized the high possibility of President Xi Jinping visiting South Korea during next year’s APEC summit. He stated, ‘It is hard to imagine that China, which has mentioned this multiple times, would not follow through. Diplomatically, if President Xi Jinping visits both countries for bilateral purposes in the first half of next year, nothing could be better than that. However, I believe that it is more appropriate to hold the bilateral meeting during the APEC summit.’
When asked by Rep. Kim Tae-ho of the People Power Party about the ‘red lines’ that South Korea and China must adhere to, Ambassador Jeong responded that he cannot provide a public answer to that question but mentioned that both countries communicate with China on various issues including Taiwan and North Korea, sometimes strongly and sometimes softly.
Regarding the deterioration of North Korea-China relations brought up by Rep. Kim Geon of the People Power Party, Ambassador Jeong acknowledged subtle signs of deterioration since the beginning of this year but emphasized the historical patterns of fluctuations between tensions and normalization in relations and refrained from making premature judgments.
During the committee audit, criticism was also directed at Ambassador Jeong regarding allegations of ‘arrogance’ that arose in March and attempts to restrict coverage by South Korean correspondents in China. Ambassador Jeong expressed regret, acknowledging shortcomings and stated that a true evaluation of his work will not be immediate.”