President Lee Jae Myung arrives in Beijing for state visit

President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung wave from the door of the presidential jet upon its arrival at the airport in Beijing, Sunday. Yonhap

BEIJING — President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Beijing Sunday afternoon for a state visit to China, marking his first summit-level diplomatic engagement of the year.

The four-day trip runs through Wednesday, with a summit between the two countries' leaders scheduled for Monday.

Lee departed Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, earlier in the day aboard the presidential aircraft, accompanied by first lady Kim Hea Kyung.

The visit comes at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and is a reciprocal trip following Xi’s visit to Korea last November. During that trip, Xi attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, where the two presidents held their first summit.

Lee is set to begin his official schedule Sunday evening at a meeting with Korean nationals residing in China, during which he is expected to hear their concerns and reaffirm the government’s support.

Monday's highly anticipated Seoul-Beijing summit is expected to focus on regional security issues, including peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said during a briefing Friday that Seoul would seek to strengthen strategic communication with Beijing in an effort to advance a comprehensive restoration of bilateral relations.

Other agenda items are expected to include the possible easing of China’s informal restrictions on South Korean cultural content — often referred to as the Korean wave ban — as well as disputes over Chinese steel structures in the West Sea.

Wi said the government would pursue a gradual approach to resolving the cultural restrictions by expanding mutual understanding through exchanges, noting that the West Sea issue has been discussed at both summit and working levels since November.

More than 10 memoranda of understanding are also expected to be signed during the visit, covering cooperation in areas such as the economy, industry, climate and environmental issues, and transportation.