President Lee Jae Myung’s high-stakes diplomatic gambit to use Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to make progress with North Korea has failed spectacularly. Pyongyang responded to Lee’s plea for dialogue with a public statement calling the effort a “pipe dream,” a major setback for the South Korean leader.
Lee had strategically planned to use the summit with Xi, China’s most powerful leader, to urge for renewed talks with the North. By asking Beijing to leverage its influence, Lee hoped to create a new opening for peace. However, North Korea’s immediate and contemptuous rejection exposed the limits of Seoul’s strategy and China’s influence.
This diplomatic humiliation unfolded against a backdrop of significant domestic and international pressure. As Lee and Xi met, hundreds of protesters demonstrated in Seoul, chanting slogans against Chinese influence. The protests highlighted the deep public unease President Lee must manage as he courts deeper economic ties with Beijing.
The summit, which followed closely on a visit by U.S. President Trump, also forced Lee to navigate the treacherous waters between the two superpowers. He raised the contentious 2017 THAAD missile system deployment—a U.S. security measure that China protests—and Chinese sanctions on a U.S.-linked firm, placing him squarely in the middle of the great power rivalry.
While Lee’s primary security objective failed, the economic agenda moved forward. Chinese state media, ignoring the diplomatic drama, focused on the seven new economic agreements signed, including a currency swap. President Xi’s placid call for “mutual respect” stood in stark contrast to the volatile political reality President Lee was facing.
