President Lee Jae Myung plans to send a group of special envoys to China around early next week, coinciding with his upcoming trips to Japan and the United States for summit talks with their leaders, sources said Monday.
The delegation will include former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, ruling Democratic Party lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jeung, and Roh Jae-hun, son of former President Roh Tae-woo, according to the sources.
"It's not final yet, but I understand they are working to set the departure date in line with the anniversary of the establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations," a ruling party official said on condition of anonymity.
Seoul and Beijing formed diplomatic ties on Aug. 24, 1992.
A presidential official said related discussions are still ongoing, declining to give more details.
If realized, the envoys' visit to China would coincide with Lee's planned trips to Tokyo on Aug. 23-24 and to Washington afterwards for summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Donald Trump.
The likely dispatch of the envoys would reflect Lee's commitment to managing relations with China, alongside his engagement with Washington and Tokyo.
Seoul is in talks with Beijing to arrange a meeting between the special envoys and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the sources said.
The envoys are expected to convey a letter from Lee to Chinese President Xi Jinping underscoring the importance of bilateral ties and requesting his attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea in late October. (Yonhap)
