President Lee to Meet Wang Yi at the Blue House on August 20: Confirmed Agenda and What Remains Undecided
이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.
President Lee Jae-myung will meet Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and China's foreign minister, at the Blue House on the morning of 2026-08-20. Wang will make an official visit to South Korea from August 19 through 20. Before meeting the president, he will hold a South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
As of 2026-08-18 at 5:1 p.m. Korea Standard Time, the Blue House has stated that the main purpose of the presidential meeting is to exchange views on the development of South Korea–China relations and regional affairs. President Lee is also expected to convey his regards to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Discussions about formally ending the Korean War, which have recently attracted attention, stem from a proposal Lee personally made in his Liberation Day address. However, no announcement has confirmed that such discussions will be an official agenda item for his 20 meeting with Wang.
When and Where Will President Lee Meet Wang Yi?
The meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled for the morning of August 20 at the Blue House. Wang's visit to South Korea will last two days, from 19 through 20. Rather than consisting solely of a presidential meeting, the visit includes consecutive meetings with South Korea's foreign minister and national security adviser.
On August 19, Wang is scheduled to hold a South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, followed by an official dinner. The two sides plan to discuss bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and regional and international issues of mutual interest.
On 20, Wang will meet National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac for talks and lunch following his meeting with President Lee. Wi and Wang are also expected to exchange views on South Korea–China relations, developments on the Korean Peninsula, and regional and international affairs.
The sequence becomes clearer when the schedule is organized by date.
August 19
South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting with Cho Hyun → Official dinner
August 20
Meeting with President Lee Jae-myung → Talks and lunch with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac
It is therefore more accurate to view this visit as two days of consultations with South Korea's senior diplomatic and security officials rather than a single meeting with the president.
Why Is Wang Yi's Visit Described as His First in 5 Years?
Wang's official visit to South Korea for bilateral diplomatic engagements is his first in approximately 5 years, since September 2021. However, Wang previously visited South Korea while accompanying President Xi Jinping to the APEC leaders' meeting in Gyeongju in 2025. It would therefore be inaccurate to say simply that he had not visited South Korea for 5 years.
The description 'first in 5 years' specifically refers to an official visit for bilateral diplomatic engagements, including a South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting.
The previous South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting between Cho and Wang took place in Beijing, China, on 2025-09-17. Their next meeting is scheduled for 2026-08-19.
Author's calculation:
2026-08-19 - 2025-09-17 = 336 days, approximately 11 months.
This explains why two different time frames appear in coverage of the visit: 'Wang's first official visit in approximately 5 years' and 'the first South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting in approximately 11 months.' The figures refer to different events, so neither is necessarily incorrect.
What Has Been Officially Confirmed for the Presidential Meeting?
The Blue House has provided a relatively clear outline of President Lee's meeting with Wang. The two will exchange views on the future development of South Korea–China relations and regional affairs, while Lee will convey his regards to President Xi Jinping.
It is important to distinguish the announced agenda for the presidential meeting from those of the foreign ministers' meeting.
The 19 meeting between Cho and Wang officially includes not only bilateral relations but also the situation on the Korean Peninsula and regional and international issues. The 20 meeting between National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac and Wang is likewise expected to address South Korea–China relations, the Korean Peninsula, and regional and international affairs.
By contrast, as of August 18, the Blue House's specific announcement concerning the meeting between President Lee and Wang covers the future development of South Korea–China relations and assessments of regional affairs.
It would therefore go beyond the official announcement to assume in advance that individual issues such as North Korea's nuclear program, discussions about ending the Korean War, or Taiwan will necessarily be addressed during the presidential meeting. A more accurate understanding of the actual agenda will be possible after reviewing the Blue House's explanation following the 20 meeting.
Will Lee and Wang Discuss the Liberation Day Proposal for 'Talks to End the War'?
As of August 18, there has been no announcement confirming that this proposal is an official agenda item for the meeting between President Lee and Wang.
However, President Lee Jae-myung's proposal to transform the Korean Peninsula's armistice system into a peace regime can be verified in his official address marking the 81th anniversary of Liberation Day on August 15, just three days earlier.
Alongside his vision of reducing hostility between North and South Korea and promoting peaceful coexistence, Lee proposed initiating discussions among the parties concerned to bring the long-running war to an end. He also stated that such discussions could provide an opportunity to explore effective measures to halt further advances in North Korea's nuclear capabilities.
The timing of Wang's visit, immediately after the Liberation Day address, explains the attention surrounding the possibility of discussions about ending the war.
However, 'attracting attention' and 'being confirmed as an agenda item' are not the same thing. The presidential meeting schedule announced on 18 did not explicitly identify multilateral discussions about ending the war as a separately confirmed agenda item.
The first thing to check after 20, therefore, is whether the Blue House officially uses terms such as 'ending the war,' 'peace regime,' or 'denuclearization' when explaining the meeting's outcome. Only then will it be possible to assess whether this meeting actually connected Lee's Liberation Day proposal to diplomatic consultations.
Why Is the November Shenzhen APEC Summit Also Being Mentioned?
Wang's visit comes ahead of the APEC leaders' meeting scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, in November 2026. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs views the upcoming South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting as an opportunity to review progress in bilateral relations and prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges.
The sequence of events helps explain where this meeting fits into the broader diplomatic calendar.
In September 2025, a South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting was held in Beijing, and South Korea hosted the APEC leaders' meeting that autumn. In 2026, another foreign ministers' meeting is scheduled for August in Seoul, while the APEC leaders' meeting is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, in November.
In other words, the host locations have switched between South Korea and China this time.
However, another distinction is necessary. As of August 18, this does not mean that a new South Korea–China summit on the occasion of the Shenzhen APEC meeting has been confirmed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced only that the two countries will review progress in bilateral relations ahead of APEC and prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges.
Accordingly, when evaluating the outcome of the 20 meeting, the more important question will be whether new follow-up engagements between senior officials or specific agreements are announced, rather than simply whether the meeting takes place.
What Still Needs to Be Confirmed After the August 20 Meeting?
What can be confirmed at this stage is the schedule and the broad agenda. Once the meeting concludes, it will be necessary to distinguish earlier expectations from what was actually discussed, based on the Blue House's announcement of the results.
The first point is the extent to which Korean Peninsula issues are included in the announced outcome of the presidential meeting. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is already part of the official agendas for the foreign ministers' meeting and the meeting with the national security adviser.
The second is whether President Lee's August 15 proposal concerning an end to the war and the establishment of a peace regime is actually mentioned in South Korea–China discussions. At this stage, a possibility cannot be presented as an established fact.
The third is whether follow-up high-level exchanges ahead of the November Shenzhen APEC summit become more concrete. If new dates or meeting formats are announced, the follow-up schedule arising from Wang's visit will become clearer.
In summary, the meeting between President Lee and Wang Yi on August 20 has been confirmed, but the specific issues to be addressed and any subsequent measures remain unknown until the results are announced. The clearest established fact at this stage is that the South Korea–China foreign ministers' meeting on 19 will be followed by the presidential meeting and talks with the national security adviser on 20.
이 포스팅은 쿠팡 파트너스 활동의 일환으로, 이에 따른 일정액의 수수료를 제공받습니다.