Lee embarks on four-day trip to China

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung wave at a military airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Jan. 4, 2026. YonhapSEOUL, January 4 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung left for Beijing on Sunday for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

His four-day trip marks Lee's first visit to China since taking office in June last year. It is also the first visit to China by a South Korean president since former President Moon Jae-in traveled there in December 2019, and the first state visit in about nine years.

Lee will start his itinerary with a dinner with South Korean expats there shortly after arriving in Beijing. After attending a business forum the following day, he will hold a summit with Xi, which will include a welcoming ceremony and a banquet.

The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation, as well as various issues including China's veiled restrictions on South Korean films and dramas, and the installation of dubious structures on the submerged shelf of Ieodo in the West Sea, which overlaps with maritime zones of both South Korea and China.

Attention is now focused on whether Lee's first overseas trip of the new year would bring momentum in efforts to further ease strained ties with China, after the two leaders met about two months ago on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju in November last year.

On Tuesday, he is also scheduled to have lunch with Premier Li Qiang before traveling to Shanghai.

Lee will return home on Wednesday.
Seon Jae-kwan 기자 seon@economidaily.com