(Beijing = Yonhap News) Correspondent Jeong Seong-jo = Newly appointed Ambassador to China Noh Jae-heon said that the South Korea-China summit held on the 1st was held in a positive atmosphere and achieved the result of fully restoring South Korea-China relations.
Ambassador Roh met with reporters at the Chinese Embassy in Beijing on the 3rd and said about the summit between President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Gyeongju on the 1st,"I expected it to last only an hour, including the MOU signing, but it far exceeded that by almost 100 minutes." He added,"We achieved many results, and the biggest achievement was the full restoration of Korea-China relations through the Lee Jae-myung administration's diplomacy toward China based on national interest and pragmatism."
He, who was present at this summit, said,"The two leaders also agreed to work to ensure that the development of South Korea-China relations contributes to both the people's livelihood and peace," adding,"President Lee presented in detail our government's plan for denuclearization and peace and asked for China's constructive role in resuming dialogue with North Korea, while President Xi also said he would continue efforts for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."
Ambassador Roh said,"In a truly harmonious atmosphere, the two shared their experiences of growing as leaders while working with the people from the local government level," and added,"President Lee also engaged in an icebreaker conversation and talked about their shared hobby, Baduk."
This president became president after serving as mayor of Seongnam and governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Chairman Xi entered the top leadership after serving in various local governments, starting with Hebei Province, then Fujian Province, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai.
Ambassador Roh, who arrived in Beijing on the 16th of last month and took office, immediately began preparing for President Xi's visit to Korea, the first in 11 years, and attended the summit meetings between the two leaders in Korea when President Xi visited Korea from the 30th of last month to the 1st of this month.
Ambassador Roh is the eldest son of former President Roh Tae-woo, who led the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and China, and is a well-known figure in Chinese politics.
He has been actively involved in various activities promoting Korea-China exchanges, including serving as an advisor to the Chengdu International Advisory Group in 2016 and as the chairman of the Social and Cultural Subcommittee of the Korea-China Future Development Committee in 2021. In late August, he visited China with former National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok and others as a special envoy of President Lee Myung-bak, delivering a personal letter from the president to President Xi. He was inaugurated as ambassador to China last month, filling the vacancy that had lasted nine months.
It has been reported that during his visit to Korea, the city mayor personally greeted Ambassador Roh and said,"Welcome."
