(Embargoed until 14:30)

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (right) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also serves as director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, pose for a photo ahead of their talks at the Foreign Ministry in central Seoul on Aug. 19. (Pool photo via Yonhap)
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (right) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also serves as director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, pose for a photo ahead of their talks at the Foreign Ministry in central Seoul on Aug. 19. (Pool photo via Yonhap)

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit China from Friday to Saturday for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday, as Beijing prepares to host a high-profile regional summit that could reshape diplomatic dynamics surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

Cho is scheduled to meet Wang, who also serves as director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19.

The upcoming talks will follow the two ministers' meeting in Seoul on Aug. 19, when they discussed bilateral relations, Korean Peninsula security and preparations for the November APEC summit.

The visit comes as Seoul seeks to sustain momentum in improving relations with Beijing while navigating growing uncertainty over possible diplomatic engagement among the United States, China, Russia and North Korea.

President Lee Jae Myung is also scheduled to travel to Shenzhen on Nov. 18 after attending ASEAN-related summits in Manila, the Philippines, beginning Nov. 16.

Lee is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC gathering, building on their previous summits in Gyeongju in November 2025 and Beijing in January. Economic cooperation, supply chain stability and Korean Peninsula security are expected to feature prominently in bilateral diplomatic discussions.

The upcoming APEC summit has attracted particular attention amid speculation that US President Donald Trump, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin could hold an unprecedented trilateral meeting, potentially addressing major international security issues, including developments on the Korean Peninsula.

The possibility of renewed diplomatic contact between Washington and Pyongyang has also emerged, although Seoul has downplayed expectations of an imminent breakthrough.

A senior presidential official said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's participation in APEC-related diplomacy and direct US-North Korea contact remained unlikely. However, Korean Peninsula issues could be discussed if a US-China-Russia trilateral summit materializes.


mkjung@heraldcorp.com