President Lee Jae Myung (L) talks with Chen Jining, the Shanghai Municipal Party secretary, ahead of a dinner hosted by Chen in Shanghai on Jan. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea called on Seoul and Beijing to work to soften public distrust and rebuild what he described as “good neighborly, friendly” relations, arguing that improved sentiment between the two societies is essential to expanding economic cooperation.
Mr. Lee made the remarks Tuesday at a welcome dinner hosted by Chen Jining, the Communist Party secretary of Shanghai, after arriving in the city, the final stop on his state visit to China. He said that lingering misunderstandings between the two countries had hardened public attitudes on both sides and had become an obstacle to closer ties.
“Unfounded and unnecessary misunderstandings have long weighed on public sentiment,” Mr. Lee said. “We should reduce areas of conflict and confrontation and expand those where we can benefit one another, so that we can truly become good neighbors.”
The South Korean president expressed hope that his visit would help lift bilateral relations to a new level, with economic cooperation as the most urgent priority. While acknowledging the breadth of issues linking the two countries — from culture and diplomacy to security and people-to-people exchanges — he said deeper economic collaboration should come first, particularly as both governments seek new engines of growth.
The National Museum of Korea said on January 5 that it signed an agreement with China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration to donate a pair of stone lion statues held by the Kansong Art Museum to China.
The signing ceremony was held on the sidelines of a South Korea–China summit, with President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance.
The stone lion statues in the Kansong collection are believed to date back to China’s Qing Dynasty and measure about 1.9 meters in height, each weighing approximately 1.25 tons.
The photo shows the pair of stone lion statues placed at the main gate of Bohwagak, the Kansong Art Museum. (Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Korea)
Mr. Lee also said South Korea hoped to work with China as it prepares its next five-year economic development plan, covering 2026 to 2030, suggesting that coordination could help foster new growth drivers for both sides.
His stop in Shanghai carried particular historical significance. The city served as a center of the Korean independence movement during Japan’s colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, including as the seat of Korea’s provisional government in exile.
Mr. Lee said he would visit related historical sites to mark key anniversaries, including the centennial of the provisional government’s establishment and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kim Koo, a leading independence figure who headed the government in Shanghai.
Thanking local authorities for preserving the sites, Mr. Lee said the record of Korea’s struggle for sovereignty remained vital. “Keeping alive the memory of how fiercely we fought to protect our independence,” he said, “offers an important lesson for future generations.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
