South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 05 January 2026, to sign a series of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in industrial exchanges, technology, the environment and other areas between the two countries. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Jan. 7 (Asia Today) — Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested that improvements in South Korea-China relations, including restrictions on Korean cultural content, would come gradually, using a proverb during a bilateral summit this week in Beijing.
Xi made the remarks Monday during talks with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, saying, “Three-foot-thick ice does not melt all at once, and fruit falls naturally when ripe,” according to South Korea’s presidential office.
The comments were widely interpreted in Seoul as signaling a step-by-step approach toward easing China’s informal ban on Korean popular culture, often referred to as the “K-content ban,” imposed after tensions between the two countries in recent years.
Lee urged closer cooperation between the neighboring countries, calling mutual prosperity urgent and stressing the need to ease anti-Korean and anti-Chinese sentiment. He proposed symbolic people-to-people exchanges such as Go tournaments, soccer matches and the temporary loan of pandas to Gwangju Uchi Zoo, South Korea’s second national zoo.
“There is no problem with exchanges in Go or soccer,” Xi responded, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said at a briefing Tuesday at the Shanghai Press Center.
Kang said cultural exchanges were already advancing at the working level and that Xi emphasized the need to resolve emotional friction gradually. “He used the metaphor that ice does not melt in a day, suggesting progress should be incremental and allow time,” she said.
Kang also said Xi appeared unfamiliar with South Korea’s concerns over Chinese structures in the West Sea. Seoul reiterated its position that the area should become “a sea of shared interests” for bilateral development, and the two sides discussed practical follow-up measures, she said.
The summit took place at the Great Hall of the People, where Xi and Lee also attended a state banquet. Kang said Xi personally explained elements of the dinner menu, including Beijing-style jajangmyeon, noting it is mainly eaten in northern China.
After tasting the dish, Lee remarked that it had a lighter and healthier flavor than its Korean counterpart, according to the spokesperson.
Xi also shared an anecdote about former U.S. President Richard Nixon enjoying clam soup during his historic visit to China, Kang said. The Chinese side presented Lee with a photo album highlighting key moments from the official welcome ceremony.
During the banquet, Lee raised a toast with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, urging attention to peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Wang responded that long-term peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is a shared goal of both countries.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
