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South Korea Announces Phased Cultural Revival and Seeks Early Talks on Maritime Disputes

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Summit Marks First Korean President Visit to Beijing in Nine Years President Lee Jae Myung traveled to Beijing for a second summit with Xi Jinping, the first South Korean presidential visit to China in nine years, and described the meeting as laying the foundation for fully restoring bilateral relations [1]. The summit signaled a diplomatic turning point after years of strained ties. Both leaders highlighted the need for cooperation across economic and cultural domains.

Finance Minister Announces Phased Revival of Cultural Exchanges Finance Minister Koo Yun‑cheol pledged to deepen cultural cooperation, outlining a gradual restoration of exchanges in arts, sports, tourism, games, music, film and broadcasting [1]. He linked cultural initiatives to the economic agenda discussed at the summit, emphasizing that people‑to‑people interaction will reinforce economic gains. The plan will be implemented through a high‑level meeting of economy‑related ministers in Seoul.

Unresolved Maritime Disputes Remain Central to Diplomatic Agenda Foreign Minister Cho Hyun announced he will seek a one‑on‑one meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the first quarter to discuss maritime issues, especially the contested steel platforms in the Yellow Sea [2]. Seoul expects China to remove at least one of the three platforms following the Lee‑Xi summit. The talks aim to address these lingering security concerns alongside broader bilateral matters.

Chinese Unofficial Ban on Korean Content Traces Back to THAAD Beijing has maintained an unofficial ban on Korean pop‑culture content, a retaliation for South Korea’s 2016 deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile‑defence system [1]. The restriction has never been formally acknowledged by Chinese authorities but continues to affect cultural flows. The ban remains a key sticking point in the renewal of cultural ties.

Seoul Aims to Convert High‑Level Talks Into Concrete Moves By signaling readiness for early diplomatic engagement, Seoul hopes to translate summit momentum into tangible progress on both maritime disputes and the cultural ban [2]. The foreign ministry expects the upcoming talks to cover the full range of issues, potentially easing frictions and advancing people‑to‑people exchanges. Successful negotiations could pave the way for broader cooperation across economic and cultural sectors.

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Timeline

2003‑2007 – Beijing hosts the six‑party talks on North Korea’s nuclear issue, a historic example of China’s role as a diplomatic hub for the Korean Peninsula [28].

2016 – South Korea’s deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile‑defence system leads Beijing to impose unofficial restrictions on Korean pop‑culture exports, a lingering irritant in bilateral ties [1].

2017 – The last South Korean state visit to China takes place, creating a nine‑year gap before President Lee’s 2026 trip [27].

2019 – The most recent South Korean presidential visit to China before Lee occurs, marking a six‑year pause in high‑level exchanges [1].

Dec 22, 2025 – Foreign Minister Cho Hyun announces plans for a Lee‑Xi summit early next year, saying the talks will address “how to persuade North Korea to return to dialogue” and will also discuss China’s steel structures in the overlapping Yellow Sea zone, a lingering maritime dispute [40].

Dec 30, 2025 – The presidential office confirms Lee Jae Myung will embark on a four‑day state visit to China (Jan 4‑7), the first by a South Korean president since 2017 and the first to Beijing since 2019, with a business delegation led by Samsung, SK and Hyundai executives and a scheduled stop in Shanghai to mark the centennial of the Korean provisional government [38][37][36][39].

Jan 2, 2026 – Lee and Xi are slated to meet in Beijing for a summit focused on “peace and denuclearization” on the Korean Peninsula, supply‑chain investment, the digital economy and people‑to‑people exchanges; Lee reiterates South Korea’s respect for the One‑China policy amid heightened Taiwan Strait drills [32][35][34].

Jan 4, 2026 – Lee departs Seoul for Beijing as North Korea fires short‑range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea, underscoring regional volatility; in a CCTV interview he calls China “a very important cooperative partner for peace and unification” and reaffirms the One‑China policy, while Beijing signals that the Yellow Sea steel structures will be a discussion point [30][28][27][26][25][24][23].

Jan 5, 2026 – Lee and Xi hold a 90‑minute summit at the Great Hall of the People, signing 14 memorandums of understanding on technology, trade and the environment; Xi calls the visit “meaningful” and a basis for a “new era” of Korea‑China relations, and both leaders agree to annual meetings and to resume dialogue with North Korea despite Pyongyang’s hypersonic‑missile launches [18][22][21][20][25][24][23].

Jan 6, 2026 – In meetings with Premier Li Qiang and legislator Zhao Leji, Lee declares he will make 2026 “the first year of full restoration” and an “irreversible trend” of Korea‑China ties, pressing China to remove steel structures in the Yellow Sea, to support a trilateral summit with Japan, and to deepen cultural‑exchange cooperation; 14 MoUs are finalized and cultural‑exchange commitments are announced [16][17][12][13][14][15][6].

Jan 7, 2026 – Returning to Seoul, Lee tells reporters he has asked Xi to act as a mediator on the Korean Peninsula, noting that all inter‑Korean channels are “completely blocked”; Korean papers highlight his claim that China will remove Yellow Sea structures and frame his diplomacy as balancing China‑Japan and U.S.-China tensions [2][7][8][9][10][11][1].

Jan 8, 2026 – Lee states that the China visit “has laid a solid foundation for the full restoration of Korea‑China relations,” pledging pragmatic diplomacy that will pursue economic, cultural and security cooperation amid ongoing China‑Japan tensions over Taiwan [6].

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