On the 4th, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, who visited China to attend the 80th anniversary celebration of China's victory, met with Zhao Leji, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, who is ranked third in China, and promised to strengthen cooperation.
That morning, around 10:25 a.m. (local time), Speaker Woo met with Chairperson Zhao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Chairperson Zhao said, "China and South Korea are close neighbors and cooperative partners. On June 10, the leaders of both countries agreed during a phone call to elevate the strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level," emphasizing the need to advance relations through communication and cooperation.
Speaker Woo noted, "This is our third meeting after the Harbin Winter Asian Games in February and the World Speakers Conference in July. There is a Chinese proverb that says if you meet three or four times, you become friends; we have already become very good friends," adding that "such meetings are precious opportunities to activate high-level exchanges between Korea and China and to advance bilateral relations."
He continued, "I congratulate you on successfully holding the Victory Day event very grandly," and said, "I deeply resonate with President Xi Jinping's message yesterday that 'the fate of humanity is closely interlinked, and we must support each other equally and peacefully.'" He added, "Korea wishes to continue the mature development of the strategic cooperative partnership between Korea and China. We will also actively support this at the National Assembly level."
Speaker Woo attended the parade held at Tiananmen Square the previous morning. He then participated in a welcoming reception at the Great Hall of the People, where he communicated with leaders from various countries. He had a brief conversation with Kim Jong-un, the Chairman of North Korea, and requested President Xi Jinping to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju in October. He also exchanged greetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following this, Speaker Woo inspected the Sampaeja Garden, a historic site of the independence movement in Beijing, and held a dinner meeting with descendants of independence activists. Speaker Woo is the grandson of independence activist Kim Han. The meeting included descendants of independence activists Kim Cheol-nam, Kim San, Kim Dong-jin, and Han Nak-yeon, who reside in China.