SEOUL — Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul is set to visit China next week for discussions with his counterpart, Wang Yi, marking the first visit by a South Korean top diplomat to Beijing in over six years, announced the foreign ministry on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho’s two-day trip, scheduled from Monday to Tuesday, comes at a critical time as South Korea navigates a complex relationship with China amidst closer ties with the United States under President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration. This visit will be the first by a South Korean foreign minister since November 2017, when Kang Kyung-wha visited during then-President Moon Jae-in’s term. The upcoming meetings are also poised ahead of a likely trilateral summit involving the leaders of South Korea, China, and Japan, intended to enhance cooperation among these key regional players, tentatively scheduled for May 26-27.