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| ▲ 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) |
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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (L) shakes hands with Chen Jining, the Shanghai Municipal Party secretary, ahead of a dinner hosted by Chen in Shanghai on Jan. 6, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Lee-China
(LEAD) Lee urges efforts to ease negative public sentiment between S. Korea, China
(ATTN: ADDS more details in paras 8,12; CHANGES dateline)
By Kim Eun-jung
SHANGHAI, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung has said that South Korea and China should work to ease negative public sentiment toward each other and develop "good neighborly, friendly" relations to help expand economic cooperation.
Lee made the remarks at a welcome dinner hosted by Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining after arriving in Shanghai on Tuesday -- the second and final stop of his state visit to China.
"I believe building good neighborly, friendly relations is essential when it comes to resolving economic issues," he told Chen.
He noted that "unfounded and unnecessary misunderstandings" have long hurt public sentiment in both countries and have become a factor hindering the development of bilateral relations.
"We need to minimize those misunderstandings and encourage more goodwill between our peoples," Lee said. "If there are areas of conflict or confrontation, we should minimize them and maximize the areas where we can benefit each other so that we can truly become good neighbors."
Expressing hope that his visit would help take bilateral ties to a new level, Lee said improving economic cooperation should be a top priority among the many areas of potential collaboration, including culture, foreign affairs, the military and people-to-people exchanges.
Lee also expressed hope of working together with China in its 2026-30 economic development plan to contribute to and foster new growth drivers.
In response, Chen explained Shanghai's economic policies and vowed to make efforts to create new business opportunities for Korean firms and other foreign enterprises, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.
He said the visit to Shanghai was especially meaningful, noting that the city was a hub for the Korean independence movement during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule and that he would visit historical sites to mark landmark anniversaries.
On Wednesday, Lee is scheduled to visit a historical site that served as the headquarters of Korea's provisional government to mark the centennial anniversary of its establishment this year. He also plans to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of independence hero Kim Koo (1876-1949), who led the government in the city.
Thanking the Shanghai authorities for preserving the historical sites, Lee said, "Keeping alive the records of how we fought so fiercely to protect our national sovereignty will offer an important lesson for future generations."
Chen said he shares similar sentiments toward the Korean provisional government and Kim Koo, pledging efforts to foster goodwill between the two nations and expand people-to-people exchanges.
(END)
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