A special envoy group to deliver a letter from President Lee Jae-myung to Chinese President Xi Jinping departed for China on the 24th.
The special envoy group, led by former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok, left through Incheon International Airport in the afternoon.
Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Kim Tae-nyeon and Park Jeong, along with Roh Tae-woo's son, Roh Jae-heon, who is the chairman of the East Asia Cultural Foundation, accompanied them as members.
Director General Park met with reporters before departure and said, "Amid U.S.-China tensions, and especially coinciding with the summit between our country and the United States, I feel heavy-hearted in many ways, and I will faithfully convey the foreign policy of the Lee Jae-myung government and the president's intentions according to the spirit of pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests."
Regarding the content of the letter that President Lee is sending to President Xi, he explained, "The core is to solidify the strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries that can practically help the lives of the two nations' citizens based on national interests and capabilities," adding, "There will also likely be a request for President Xi to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit."
Director General Park noted, "The current government has the role and responsibility to establish a well-founded South Korea-U.S. alliance and a South Korea-China strategic cooperative partnership, and we are opening the first door to this," stating, "We will explain what kind of foreign policy a government of popular sovereignty will pursue, and we will seek ways to develop together while reflecting China's opinions."
The special envoy group plans to stay in China until the 27th, where they will meet with key figures and discuss ways to enhance South Korea-China friendship.
They also plan to meet with Wang Yi, the head of foreign affairs in China, who is the director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Zhao Leji, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. However, it seems unlikely that they will meet directly with President Xi due to scheduling conflicts.