Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
President unlikely to attend China’s Victory Day celebration in September
President Lee Jae Myung sits next to National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik during a dinner at the presidential residence in Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps
By Anna J. Park
Speculation rises over National Assembly speaker’s attendance
President Lee Jae Myung is leaning toward not attending a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of China’s Victory Day, slated for Sept. 3 in Beijing.
While no official decision has been announced, diplomatic and political sources here say the president is unlikely to participate in the Chinese celebration due to ongoing, high-stakes negotiations with the U.S. over a package deal linking trade and security issues.
With the date for a Seoul-Washington summit still unconfirmed, attending the Chinese military parade is seen as diplomatically sensitive and burdensome.
Earlier this month, China reached out through diplomatic channels to invite Lee to the event celebrating its victory over Japan during World War II. If the visit materializes, it would also include a meeting between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Since then, the Korean government has remained silent over whether to accept the invitation, but recently showed signs that it won't accept it.
The government’s position was reflected during Thursday’s confirmation hearing for Foreign Minister nominee Cho Hyun.
Cho Hyun, nominee for minister of foreign affairs, answers questions from lawmakers during his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Asked about Lee’s potential attendance at the Beijing event, Cho only said, “I cannot provide a conclusive response.”
While a summit between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to be confirmed, Cho made it clear that a visit to China ahead of a Korea-U.S. summit is unlikely with tariff negotiations ongoing.
“That is unlikely to happen,” he said, underscoring the current administration’s diplomatic priorities.
Political watchers say the government’s decision also appears to take into account concerns within U.S. political circles, where there is lingering suspicion and unease about the Korean president’s perceived pro-China stance.
Former President Park Geun-hye, third from left, attends a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Sept. 3, 2015, commemorating the 70th anniversary of China’s Victory Day. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki
The precedent set by former President Park Geun-hye’s attendance at the Victory Day event in 2015 is also believed to be affecting the current administration’s deliberations.
At the time, Park attended the Chinese military parade with hopes of encouraging Beijing to take a more responsible role in addressing North Korea’s nuclear threat and broader inter-Korean issues.
However, China showed little change in its position, and the Seoul-Beijing relationship later deteriorated after the U.S. THAAD missile defense system was deployed here. That outcome is seen as a key lesson guiding the current administration’s decisions.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
In place of Lee, expectation is rising that National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik — the country’s second-highest official by protocol — may represent South Korea at the Beijing event.
When asked about the matter, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung did not confirm the speculation, instead emphasizing that under Korea’s separation of powers, the decision rests with the National Assembly, not the presidential office.
“In Korea’s system of separation of powers, the executive and legislative branches operate independently. As the head of the legislative branch, Speaker Woo has the authority to decide on his attendance, and this matter is outside the jurisdiction of the president,” Kang said during a press briefing Friday.