Seoul's envoy to China says he is urging Beijing to press North Korea back to talks
In short
South Korea's ambassador to China, Noh Jae-heon (노재헌), told a National Assembly audit in Beijing on 20 October that he is working to draw out a constructive Chinese role so North Korea halts provocations and returns to dialogue. He said the embassy is closely watching for gaps in UN sanctions after the New Yalu River Bridge opened on 15 October.
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South Korea's ambassador to China, Noh Jae-heon (노재헌), said on 20 October that he is working to draw out a constructive Chinese role so that North Korea stops provocations and comes to dialogue and negotiation. He spoke at a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit held at the South Korean embassy in Beijing. Noh said the embassy is closely watching the situation on the Korean Peninsula and China-North Korea relations, and is explaining the government's peaceful coexistence policy and its denuclearisation position to China. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
On the New Yalu River Bridge, which opened on 15 October 12 years after completion, Noh said the embassy is watching whether expanded North Korea-China exchanges open a gap in UN sanctions. Responding to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Dae-sik, he said the embassy has kept monitoring developments around the bridge. Noh said China keeps stating that, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it is implementing sanctions faithfully. Hankook Ilbo reported that Kim also noted that the UN panel of experts on North Korea sanctions ended its work in 2024. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Lawmakers linked the questions to the APEC summit in Shenzhen, scheduled for 18-19 November, according to Yonhap. Democratic Party lawmaker Woo Won-shik raised the possibility of a US-China-Russia three-way meeting and said China's leaders should be persuaded that peace on the peninsula is tied to China's national interest. Kim Dae-sik said whether Kim Jong Un and Trump will meet is of great interest and asked the embassy to report to Seoul in real time. Noh replied that the embassy keeps communicating and watching. [ 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap also reported that Consul General Lee Kyung-deok said the embassy contacts China's foreign ministry whenever it learns of an arrest of North Korean defectors, but declined to give details, citing diplomatic sensitivity. Democratic Party lawmaker Cha Ji-ho urged expanded AI cooperation with China. [ 2 ]
Noh said South Korea-China relations were fully restored after Xi Jinping's state visit to South Korea last November and President Lee Jae-myung's state visit to China in January. He cited then Prime Minister Kim Min-seok's visit to China in June and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to South Korea in August. Citing figures, Noh said 5.02 million Chinese tourists visited South Korea in January-August, up 27.4%, and visa applications at eight Korean visa centres in China rose 43% to about 1.24 million. He pointed to a joint opera, Rigoletto, and a G-Dragon billboard in China as small but positive signs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Noh told lawmakers that the embassy's event budget this year was about 56% lower than in 2022. He asked the National Assembly to restore funding for in-person diplomacy and to support events marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year. He also asked for more visa staff. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
Lawmakers tied the questions to the APEC summit in Shenzhen next month, saying China's role on the Korean Peninsula may come into focus there. The documents give no outcome beyond the ambassador's statements and the lawmakers' requests.
Key facts
- Noh Jae-heon, South Korea's ambassador to China, spoke at a National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee audit held at the embassy in Beijing on 20 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said he is working to draw out a constructive Chinese role so that North Korea stops provocations and comes to dialogue and negotiation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The New Yalu River Bridge linking Sinuiju in North Korea and Dandong in China opened on 15 October, 12 years after completion. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said the embassy has monitored the bridge and is watching for any hole in sanctions on North Korea; he said China says it is implementing sanctions faithfully as a UN Security Council permanent member. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The APEC summit is scheduled for 18-19 November in Shenzhen, China. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said 5.02 million Chinese tourists visited South Korea in January-August, up 27.4% from a year earlier. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Noh said he is working to draw out a constructive Chinese role so that North Korea stops provocations and returns to dialogue and negotiation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said the embassy is monitoring the New Yalu River Bridge and watching for any hole in sanctions on North Korea. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Noh said China maintains that it is faithfully implementing sanctions on North Korea as a UN Security Council permanent member. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump will meet at the APEC summit. Lawmaker Kim Dae-sik called it a matter of great interest, and Noh said the embassy is watching; the documents report no confirmation of a meeting.
- What the embassy has told China's foreign ministry about arrested North Korean defectors. Consul General Lee Kyung-deok said the embassy contacts China's foreign ministry on each reported arrest but declined to disclose details, citing diplomatic sensitivity.