Yonhap News Agency quoted a senior government official on Wednesday evening as saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit North Korea as early as next week.
Another government source revealed that a team of Chinese security and protocol officials recently visited Pyongyang, making it very likely that Xi Jinping will visit North Korea at the end of May or early June.
The South Korean presidential office said on Thursday, regarding the possibility of Xi’s visit, that the government is closely monitoring the relevant developments, hopes China-North Korea exchanges will move in a direction conducive to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and also looks forward to China playing a constructive role in resolving issues on the peninsula.
The South Korean presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, said on Thursday that the government is closely monitoring such movements, and hopes China will play a constructive role in resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula.
Yonhap cited a senior official as saying, “We have obtained intelligence showing that President Xi will soon visit North Korea.”
Another government official also said that Xi is very likely to visit North Korea later this month or early next month, mentioning that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pyongyang last month, and that Xi’s security and protocol staff also visited Pyongyang recently.
After the Xi-Trump summit, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 17, giving positive marks to the constructive dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese leaders on the Korean Peninsula issue.
Trump revealed during the call that China has expressed a high level of concern over North Korea’s nuclear issue. Recent bilateral exchanges among various parties demonstrate that all sides are closely watching China’s role in maintaining peace on the Korean Peninsula.