President Lee Visits Shanghai: "Korea and China Should Resolve Uncomfortable Issues and Advance to a New Relationship" (Comprehensive)

President Lee attends dinner hosted by Chen Jining, Shanghai Party Secretary
Stresses overcoming anti-Chinese and anti-Korean sentiment
"Minimize baseless misunderstandings between peoples, foster goodwill"
"Shanghai holds significance as a

President Lee Jaemyung, who is currently on a state visit to China, stated on the 6th (local time), "I hope this visit to China will serve as an opportunity for Korea-China relations to advance to a completely new stage, and for all the previously existing uncomfortable issues to be resolved." President Lee emphasized, "What is truly important is the goodwill and friendly feelings between the peoples of both countries," adding, "We must foster these positive sentiments and become excellent neighbors to each other."

Yonhap News Agency

President Lee made these remarks while attending a dinner hosted by Chen Jining, Shanghai Party Secretary, at the Shanghai World Guest House that evening. President Lee said, "For a long time, unfounded and unnecessary misunderstandings, distortions, and several incorrect factors have generally worsened the perceptions of Koreans toward Chinese people and vice versa," adding, "As a result, the development of Korea-China relations has been hindered in various aspects."

He further emphasized the need to minimize misunderstandings and maximize friendly feelings between Korea and China. President Lee said, "If there are any elements of conflict or friction, we should minimize them, and maximize the elements that are helpful so that we can move forward as excellent neighbors together," calling for mutual efforts to overcome anti-Korean and anti-Chinese sentiments.

President Lee explained, "Every time President Xi Jinping sees me, he says, 'We are neighbors who cannot move away from each other and have an inseparable relationship,'" adding, "There are many areas in which our two countries can cooperate, ranging from people-to-people exchanges and cultural fields to military and security sectors." In response, Kang Yoojeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, clarified in a briefing that the reference to 'military and security' should be understood as pertaining to peace issues in Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula, and that there were no further specific comments.

President Lee stated, "The most practical issue is the livelihood of our people, that is, cooperation in the economic field, which is directly related to people's daily lives," referring to China's 15th Five-Year Economic Development Plan. He said, "I hope that Korea can also contribute to the implementation of this plan, and that we can find opportunities for our own growth and development within it."

Regarding President Lee's visit to Shanghai, spokesperson Kang explained, "President Lee sees Shanghai as the economic and financial center of China, as well as a hub for international trade, artificial intelligence (AI), and new industries, and expressed his desire to visit at least once, which led to this visit."

President Lee also mentioned the historical significance of Shanghai. He said, "Shanghai was an important base when the Korean Peninsula and the Chinese mainland interacted long ago, and it is meaningful because it was the stronghold where our forefathers fought for liberation and independence during the period when our sovereignty was lost."

He continued, "Coincidentally, this year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kim Gu and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government in Shanghai, making it a particularly meaningful year." He added, "We are grateful, along with the people of Korea, for the city's good management of independence movement sites, including the Provisional Government building." Spokesperson Kang added, "Party Secretary Chen explained that Shanghai has officials assigned to manage the Provisional Government building and other independence-related sites, and both sides exchanged views on ensuring thorough management."

Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also expressed his gratitude by mentioning the issue of fine dust. He said, "Every spring, we suffered greatly due to fine dust, but it has eased significantly in recent years, and I learned that this was due to the efforts of the Shanghai mayor. I am grateful for that," adding, "You are highly competent. This is a great achievement."

Spokesperson Kang described the atmosphere at the dinner, saying, "President Lee started the conversation by mentioning that he had always wanted to visit Shanghai," and added, "During the meal, the discussion covered a wide range of topics about Shanghai, including the sightseeing boats and cargo ships on the river and the development changes along both banks."

Earlier, Party Secretary Chen said in his welcome speech, "Korea and China are neighbors who cannot move away from each other and are inseparable partners in cooperation." He continued, "Over the past 30 years since diplomatic relations were established, we have actively promoted exchanges and cooperation, overcoming differences in systems and ideologies, and have grown together." In particular, Party Secretary Chen noted that trade between Shanghai and Korea accounts for about 10% of the total trade volume between the two countries. He added, "There are about 3,200 Korean companies in Shanghai, approximately 27,000 Korean residents, and about 3,700 Korean students." He also explained, "There are about 400 flights per week between Shanghai and Korea."