South Korea tells China it wants to normalise ties, upgrade economic relations

25/8/2025 13:23

South Korea hopes to normalise relations with China that have been strained in recent years, a special envoy from Seoul told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday, and agreed to boost economic cooperation, Seoul's foreign ministry said.



South Korean President Lee Jae Myung sent a special delegation led by former parliament speaker Park Byeong-seug to his country's main trading partner as he travels to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.



Lee arrived in Washington early on Monday.



Park told Wang he hoped the countries would work together to "open the door to normalising South Korea-China relations, which have been strained in recent years," according to his comments relayed by South Korean TV.



Park handed Wang a letter from Lee to Chinese President Xi Jinping and invited Xi to the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping in October, South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.



Wang welcomed the delegation's visit and appreciated the message of developing ties between the countries, the ministry said.