President Lee Jae-myung returned home through Seoul Air Base on the afternoon of the 7th after completing a four-day, three-night state visit to China.
At the airport that day, Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik, and First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Park Yun-ju welcomed the presidential couple. Lee shook hands with them in turn. During the exchange, Kang told Lee, "It's cold. You worked hard."
During the visit, Lee held a second summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In particular, the two sides sought solutions to bilateral disputes such as the West Sea structure issue, anti-Korean and anti-Chinese sentiment, and the Chinese government's "ban on the Korean wave," and reached a consensus on raising Korea-China cooperation to a new level.
Lee is expected to focus on strengthening communication between Korea and China to build on the results of the visit. However, as tensions between China and Japan grow increasingly acute, some say a meticulous diplomatic strategy that takes this into account is needed.
Meanwhile, Lee will also move to review a range of domestic issues. Lee is currently pushing hard for metropolitan-level government consolidation. In this context, he plans to hold a luncheon meeting with lawmakers from the Gwangju and South Jeolla constituencies on the 9th. He is also likely to keep a close eye on the National Assembly's vetting process for Minister of Planning and Budget nominee Lee Hye-hoon.