Wi Sung-lac, head of the Office of National Security at the Blue House, said on the 5th that at the South Korea–China summit, the leaders "also forged an advanced consensus on the West Sea issue."
The Deputy Minister held a briefing at the Beijing Press Center that afternoon and said, "To ensure stable and long-term development of South Korea–China relations, we agreed to share the view of making the West Sea a peaceful and prosperous sea and to continue constructive consultations on the West Sea structures issue," adding, "It is cautious, but it raises expectations that we could make progress."
The Deputy Minister explained, "As the boundary in the West Sea has not yet been finalized, it is important to exercise restraint and act responsibly, and under that consensus we agreed to work toward holding simultaneous vice-ministerial maritime economy talks within 2026."
He also said, "Regarding the problem of illegal fishing operations, we urged measures to strengthen guidance for fishers and crackdowns, among other steps, to maintain order in the West Sea, and we plan to continue communication for this."
The Deputy Minister also said that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula are a shared interest of South Korea and China. He explained, "The two countries reaffirmed the importance of resuming dialogue with North Korea and agreed to continue seeking creative measures to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and build peace."