South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday, January 7, that he had urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a more active role in curbing North Korea’s nuclear programme, arguing that a negotiated freeze on Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction could be “feasible” under the right conditions.
Lee was speaking to journalists in Shanghai at the conclusion of his visit to China, the first by a South Korean leader in six years. The trip marked a significant diplomatic reset by Seoul toward its largest trading partner, at a time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula and deepening strategic rivalry between major powers in the region.
During talks in Beijing on Monday, Lee met Xi just a day after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, underscoring the urgency of the nuclear issue. Lee said he had directly appealed to Beijing to use its influence over Pyongyang to reopen diplomatic channels that have long been frozen.
“I told President Xi that I would like China to play a mediating role on issues related to the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea’s nuclear programme,” Lee said. “All our channels are completely blocked. We hope China can serve as a mediator – a mediator for peace.”
According to Lee, the Chinese leader responded by urging Seoul to exercise patience toward Pyongyang, noting how badly relations between the two Koreas have deteriorated in recent years. Lee acknowledged that Beijing’s position had merit, conceding that South Korea’s own actions had contributed to rising tensions.
“For quite a long period, we carried out military actions that North Korea would have perceived as threatening,” he said, in an unusually candid assessment of recent inter-Korean dynamics.
Lee also outlined what he described as a pragmatic, interim proposal aimed at reducing immediate risks while keeping the longer-term goal of denuclearisation alive. Under the plan, North Korea would agree to freeze its nuclear programme in exchange for some form of compensation, potentially including economic or diplomatic incentives.
“Just stopping at the current level – no additional production of nuclear weapons, no transfer of nuclear materials abroad, and no further development of ICBMs – would already be a gain,” Lee said, referring to intercontinental ballistic missiles. “In the long term, we must not give up the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.”
North Korea has repeatedly rejected such approaches, declaring itself an “irreversible” nuclear state and dismissing denuclearisation talks as unrealistic. Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang are now at their worst point in years, marked by frequent missile launches, harsh rhetoric, and the near-total suspension of dialogue.
Lee’s comments also reflected the political shadow of his predecessor, who was ousted last year following a failed attempt to suspend civilian rule. The former leader stands accused of having deliberately escalated tensions with the North in an effort to provoke a crisis that could justify the imposition of military rule, allegations that have further polarised South Korean politics.
On Monday, North Korea said its nuclear forces were ready for war and that it was closely monitoring recent “geopolitical crises,” a remark widely interpreted as a reference to a recent US military strike on Venezuela. Such operations represent a nightmare scenario for Pyongyang’s leadership, which has long feared a so-called “decapitation strike” aimed at removing it from power.
For decades, North Korea has justified its nuclear and missile programmes as a deterrent against what it describes as US-led regime change efforts. In recent years, it has sharply increased the pace of missile testing, including systems believed to be capable of reaching the United States.
Analysts say this push is designed not only to improve precision strike capabilities and strengthen deterrence against Washington and Seoul, but also to field-test weapons that could eventually be exported, potentially to partners such as Russia. Against this backdrop, Lee’s appeal to China highlights Seoul’s belief that Beijing remains an indispensable, if reluctant, player in any future effort to stabilise the Korean Peninsula.
