Prime Minister Kim to Make First Visit to China Since Taking Office Next Week, Will Meet Li Qiang

Three-Day Visit to Beijing and Dalian from June 22 to 24

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok will visit Beijing and Dalian, China, for three days starting from June 22. This will be his first official visit to China since taking office in July last year.

Prime Minister Kim Minseok. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination on June 19, Prime Minister Kim will attend the Summer Davos Forum, hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, at the invitation of both the Chinese government and the WEF. He will deliver a special address, hold talks with senior Chinese officials, and participate in activities related to economic and veterans affairs. An official from the Office for Government Policy Coordination stated, "This is an opportunity to introduce our government's vision for an innovative economy to the international community and to strengthen international cooperation," adding, "By continuing the recent momentum of high-level exchanges between Korea and China, we expect to accelerate mutually beneficial cooperation."

According to diplomatic sources, Prime Minister Kim is expected to meet with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during the WEF forum. In Beijing, there is also a possibility that Prime Minister Kim will visit Tsinghua University, where he obtained his master's degree. However, a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was not arranged on this trip.

Originally, Prime Minister Kim had planned to visit China in March, but the trip was canceled due to the fallout from the Middle East war at the time. In January, he became the first Korean prime minister in 41 years to make a solo visit to the United States, where he met with Vice President JD Vance. He also made a surprise visit to the U.S. in March, holding an unexpected meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. With his upcoming trip to China, Prime Minister Kim is demonstrating an unusually active diplomatic outreach toward both the U.S. and China. Notably, unlike his previous U.S. trips where he used commercial airlines, he will travel this time on an Air Force aircraft via Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.

Prime Minister Kim, who is widely expected to run for the next ruling party leadership, is also expected to resign by early next month at the latest. As such, this visit to China is likely to be his last diplomatic engagement while in office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.