South Korea-China Summit: Ruling Party Hails 'Success,' Opposition Scorns 'Empty Diplomacy'

President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a South Korea-China summit on November 1, 2025, at the Sonokam Hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Regarding this summit, the Democratic Party of Korea assessed it as a positive achievement under the premise that "peace is economy," while the People Power Party criticized it as "empty diplomacy," citing a lack of tangible results.

Democratic Party of Korea Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun announced in a briefing immediately after the summit that "in this summit, in-depth discussions were held for the denuclearization and peace-building of the Korean Peninsula, and a total of seven Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed in various fields such as economy, culture, and environment." Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun especially emphasized that "this summit reaffirmed the trust between the two countries and laid the foundation for building a future-oriented cooperative relationship."

Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun also added, "The signing of these MOUs will be actively supported at the government level so that they can lead to substantive cooperation projects, not just simple agreements." He stated, "We will do our best to ensure that the achievements of this summit have a positive impact on the lives of the people."

People Power Party Floor Leader Song Won-seok pointed out that the South Korea-China summit lacked concrete promises from the Chinese side to resolve pending issues such as lifting the ban on Korean entertainment (Hallyu ban) which has continued since the THAAD dispute.

Floor Leader Song Won-seok also criticized, "Regarding the issue of illegal fishing by Chinese vessels in the West Sea and the installation of illegal structures, only discussions at a general level were held, and no practical solutions were found." He devalued the summit, saying, "It confirmed that the Chinese side's passive attitude remains unchanged."

Floor Leader Song Won-seok took issue with President Lee Jae-myung's remarks regarding 'detection of Chinese submarines' made during the South Korea-U.S. summit.

The People Power Party criticized the government's diplomatic capabilities for the lack of success in the South Korea-China summit and argued that efforts to improve relations with China are necessary.

Meanwhile, it is reported that the seven Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) signed at this summit include cooperation in advanced technology, expansion of cultural exchanges, joint response to environmental issues, promotion of investment, promotion of people-to-people exchanges, strengthening of tourism cooperation, and agricultural technology exchange. The government stated that it plans to strengthen practical cooperation between the two countries based on these MOUs.

However, as additional explanations on specific details are lacking, the opposition party is raising questions about the effectiveness of the MOUs. Floor Leader Song Won-seok stated, "The signing of the MOUs themselves is positive, but it remains to be seen whether they will lead to actual implementation," and argued, "The government should transparently disclose the specific details and implementation plans of the MOUs."

As assessments of this South Korea-China summit are sharply divided in the political arena, attention is expected to focus on how the government will resolve its relationship with China in the future. In particular, achieving practical results in the economic field is expected to be an important task.

While some express hope that this summit will mark a new turning point in South Korea-China relations, others are pessimistic, believing that it is difficult to expect major changes considering China's passive attitude. The government should gather these various opinions and establish a diplomatic strategy that prioritizes national interests.