South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung caps first month in office with pledge to improve China, Russia ties

The president says his focus is on pragmatic diplomacy that safeguards the public and national interests

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South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is promoting a “virutous cycle through peace”. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:00pm, 3 Jul 2025

Seoul will move “swiftly” to improve ties with Beijing and Moscow to “protect peace and people’s lives”, according to South Korea’s president.

Marking his first month in office on Thursday, Lee Jae-myung said that one of his government’s priorities was to ensure the “safety and peaceful” lives of the South Korean people, stressing that “peace is the minimum prerequisite for national stability and happiness”.

Lee said he believed in a “virtuous cycle of peace”, pledging to maintain a “firm” alliance with the United States, as well as to improve ties with China and Russia. This was reflected in Pyongyang’s favourable response to his government’s decision to suspend Seoul’s loudspeaker propaganda efforts near the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas, he said.

China has also reportedly invited the South Korean president to attend a military parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

According to the South Korean Presidential Office, Lee is reviewing the possibility of taking part in the event, and Seoul and Beijing are communicating about the issue.

In 2015, then-South Korean president Park Geun-hye attended the parade, a decision that caused friction between Seoul and Washington.

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