New foreign minister invites Xi Jinping to Seoul
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul speaks during a press conference at the ministry building in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap
Cho Tae-yul, South Korea's newly appointed foreign minister, invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Seoul at a time that is convenient for him, Friday, conveying that Xi's visit should precede President Yoon Suk Yeol's trip to Beijing.
"In terms of the number of visits, while our presidents have visited Beijing six times, President Xi has visited South Korea only once. Therefore, the government's position is that it would be reasonable for President Xi to make a visit this time," Cho said during a press conference, the first such event since he took office on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of Yoon's presidency in May 2022, there have been no official visits between the leaders of South Korea and China. Former President Moon Jae-in was the last South Korean leader to visit Beijing in 2017, while Xi's latest trip to Seoul was in July 2014 during the former Park Geun-hye administration.
When asked whether Xi's visit would most likely take place after a trilateral summit between South Korea, China and Japan, Cho replied that the three-way meeting is not a prerequisite for the Chinese leader's trip to South Korea.
"President Xi's visit is welcomed whenever his schedule allows, and there is no need to directly link the two events," the minister said.
Cho stated that the current strained relations between South Korea and China can be attributed to the geopolitical environment, including the ripple effects of the U.S.-China rivalry and supply chain disruptions. He shared plans to prioritize economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges with Beijing as a strategy to enhance mutual trust between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, center, poses with First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, right, and Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun during Cho's inauguration ceremony at the foreign ministry in Seoul, Friday. All three took on their respective roles this month. Yonhap
The minister anticipated that resolving the turbulence in relations with Russia would be challenging, given the circumstances of the ongoing Ukraine war.
"Achieving significant progress in our relationship (with Russia) may be challenging as long as the fundamental factors arising from the war in Ukraine remain unresolved ... It is true that issues such as people-to-people exchanges and high-level personnel exchanges have been disrupted due to the prevailing circumstances," Cho said, adding his ministry currently does not have concrete plans regarding visits of high-level Russian officials to South Korea.
Meanwhile, he pledged a firm and stern response to North Korea's escalating belligerence.
When asked to comment on concerns that the escalating tensions between the two Koreas could turn into a "game of chicken," Cho told reporters, "Conversely, if we take no action in response to North Korea's increasing provocations, would that guarantee our safety? No, that is not the case."
He added, "We must respond sternly and resolutely based on clear principles."
The minister also said that the Yoon administration is committed to diplomatic efforts to facilitate the smooth implementation of the third-party reimbursement system for South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor.
In an effort to mend ties with Tokyo, Seoul's foreign ministry unveiled a plan in March of 2023 to offer compensation to the victims through a South Korean government-affiliated foundation, funded by donations from local businesses. Notably, the plan does not entail seeking direct compensation from the Japanese firms deemed responsible.
The ministry has been seeking voluntary participation from Japanese enterprises, but none have stepped forward so far.
"I hope Japanese companies will join hands with us to resolve the issue, as if we were on the same boat. I will actively pursue diplomatic efforts to move in that direction," Cho said.