Seoul - Hao Peng, the Communist Party Secretary of China’s Liaoning Province, is scheduled to visit South Korea this week for talks with South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. This visit, as announced by Seoul's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, marks the first such trip by a Chinese provincial secretary to Seoul since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussions are expected to focus on enhancing exchanges and cooperation between South Korea and Liaoning Province.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lim Soo-suk, the visit aims to bolster local and regional interactions between the two regions. Observers anticipate that issues such as the repatriation of North Korean defectors may also be addressed, given recent concerns raised by human rights groups about the forced return of around 600 North Koreans from Liaoning last October. In addition to his diplomatic engagements, Hao Peng is set to meet with South Korean business leaders, reflecting the significant presence of over 500 Korean companies in Liaoning.