South Korea’s Diplomatic Push: Wooing China, Rebuffed by North

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung launched a significant diplomatic push, hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping to ask for help in re-engaging North Korea, only to be immediately and publicly rebuffed by Pyongyang.
During the state summit, Lee outlined his phased denuclearisation plan, arguing that “favourable conditions” for dialogue were forming. He urged Xi to help “strengthen strategic communication” to bring the North to the table.
North Korea’s response was swift and derisive. A statement from Pyongyang called Lee’s agenda an “unrealisable pipe dream” and reaffirmed its new policy of treating South Korea as its “main enemy,” with whom it will never talk.
President Xi, on his first visit to South Korea in 11 years, emphasized partnership. He called South Korea “inseparable” and oversaw the signing of seven economic agreements.
While South Korean officials said China expressed a willingness to cooperate for peace, Chinese state media reports on the summit conspicuously avoided the topic of North Korea. Instead, they focused on Xi’s calls for multilateralism and mutual respect for “development paths.”