Story perspectives

Wang Yi Ends Five-Year Diplomatic Gap With South Korea

8/21/2026

Center

Wang Yi Visits Seoul

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited South Korea on August 19-20, 2026, meeting President Lee Jae Myung and officials in Seoul.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced he intends to meet North Korea leader Kim Jong Un later in 2026.
North Korea launched over ten short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on August 20.
Wang Yi invited South Korea National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac to visit China.

Left

Wang Yi Visits

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited South Korea on August 19-20, 2026, meeting President Lee Jae Myung and officials in Seoul.
Lee called the relationship a mutually dependent partnership and said people-to-people exchanges should top ten million this year.
The visit was Wang’s first to South Korea since September 2021, ending a five-year diplomatic gap.
Wang also met Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac in Seoul.

Blindspot

U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to meet North Korea leader Kim Jong Un later in 2026.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The June 12, 2018 Singapore Summit— the first meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attended by South Korean President Moon Jae-in—produced a joint statement pledging a 30-day missile-launch suspension and a pause in U.S.–South Korea joint drills. It built on inter-Korean talks launched during the 2018 Winter Olympics, marking a shift from long-standing strategic patience to direct diplomacy.

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Wang Yi Visits Seoul

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited South Korea on August 19-20, 2026, meeting President Lee Jae Myung and officials in Seoul.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced he intends to meet North Korea leader Kim Jong Un later in 2026.
North Korea launched over ten short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on August 20.
Wang Yi invited South Korea National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac to visit China.

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