A large-scale South Korean parliamentary delegation will visit Beijing this week for talks with Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, a Seoul diplomat said Tuesday.

A total of 42 South Korean lawmakers, led by Rep. Chung Mong-joon of the ruling Saenuri Party, will arrive in Beijing on Thursday for a four-day visit expected to focus on further improving relations between the two nations.

The diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the scale of the South Korean parliament delegation would be the "largest-ever" since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1992.

The upcoming visit came at the invitation of China's top legislator and No. 3 leader, Zhang Dejiang, the diplomat said.

The seven-term lawmaker Chung serves as head of the Korea-China legislators' association for foreign affairs issues.

Despite some differences over North Korea, relations between South Korea and China have warmed since South Korean President Park Geun-hye held a summit with Xi last June.

South Korea and China, which suffered from Japan's wartime atrocities during the first half of the 20th century, have appeared to be in lockstep with their reactions to nationalist moves by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Yonhap)