The South Korean president reportedly asked for China’s cooperation and mediation on four major inter-Korean and international cooperation projects
Following a banquet on Jan. 5, 2026, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea snaps a selfie with President Xi Jinping of China on the Xiaomi phone that Xi gave Lee during their previous meeting. (Yonhap)
During the South Korea-China summit last week, President Lee Jae Myung reportedly asked for Beijing’s cooperation and mediation while outlining four major inter-Korean and international cooperation projects aimed at improving inter-Korean relations and enhancing Northeast Asia cooperation. According to multiple senior officials familiar with the details of the South Korea-China summit spoken to by the Hankyoreh on Monday, Lee requested China’s cooperation and mediation on four inter-Korean and international cooperation projects during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Jan. 5: construction of a Seoul-Pyeongyang-Beijing high-speed rail line; a tourism initiative involving Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort area; health care cooperation with North Korea; and the Greater Tumen Initiative. A day later, during a meeting and luncheon with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Jan. 6, Lee reportedly once again pitched his vision for those four projects and asked for China’s cooperation and mediation. Lee revealed during a luncheon with the press corps in Shanghai on Wednesday that he had requested Xi to “act as a mediator to alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula,” but did not disclose specific details about what sort of cooperation projects had been proposed at their meeting. Xi reportedly responded positively to Lee’s requests for cooperation and moderation, calling it a “welcome proposal,” while still advising that patience would be needed, considering the chill on inter-Korean relations following Pyongyang’s declaration of the relationship as one of “two states hostile to each other,” and the fact that China only has so much influence over North Korea. An administration official emphasized the significance of the proposal. “The fact that we managed to make cooperation plans that have been in the works since the launch of the current administration an official part of the agenda up for negotiation through summit diplomacy represents important progress,” the official said. By Lee Je-hun, senior staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
