China Heaps Praise on 'President Lee Jae-myung'... "Expectations for Improved Korea–China Relations"

"Korea Expected to Return to a Balanced Position," Local Media Predicts

Interest in the "Boy Worker Story"

Chinese state-run media are showing great interest in President Lee Jae-myung's future diplomatic strategy toward China. Many believe that the strained Korea–China relations of the previous administration now have an opportunity to improve.

Nantong, the SNS account operated by Xinhua News Agency, stressed on the 4th that compared to former President Yoon Suk-yeol, President Lee is more level-headed on issues related to China, stating, "Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, China–Korea relations hit rock bottom, and looking at President Lee's government somewhat optimistically, relations cannot get worse than before."

Nantong explained, "He said he would pursue pragmatic diplomacy, emphasizing the need to establish friendly relations not only with China but also with Japan, Russia, and the United States," and added, "He said that he would manage bilateral relations stably."

Chinese experts are also predicting that with the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration, the previously tense Korea–China relations under Yoon may improve.

Wang Xiaoling, Associate Researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview with Global Times, "The current international environment has led Korea to take a pragmatic path." She added that President Lee is expected to move away from bipolar thinking and prepare for the trend of a multipolar world order in the future.

Dazhi River, a researcher at the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Province Academy of Social Sciences, wrote in a contribution to Global Times, "Amid complex geopolitics, Korea's new government urgently needs to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level for economic growth." He emphasized, "The stability and development of bilateral relations and communication and cooperation in regional cooperation have special significance for enhancing both countries' regional status and jointly responding to unilateralism."

Zhan Debin, Director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, told China Business Network, "Korea's foreign policy will move away from its current phase of extremity and return to a relatively balanced position," and added, "This is a rather beneficial opportunity for bilateral relations."

Wang Sheng, Professor of International Politics at Jilin University, said in an interview with China News Service, "It is highly likely that President Lee will strengthen economic cooperation with China," but also noted, "As the ruling and opposition parties in Korea continue to clash, some uncertainty may remain even under the Lee Jae-myung administration."

Chinese media are particularly focusing on President Lee's self-made story: how he grew up as a poor boy worker, overcame adversity such as having to work from a young age to support his family and suffering a disability from an injury, and then became a lawyer and civic activist, eventually entering politics and repeatedly failing in presidential elections; how he was in critical condition after being attacked last year, and ultimately became president during the martial law situation under former President Yoon. Nantong sequentially introduced these aspects, stating, "President Lee can be regarded as a small legend."

On the same day, China Central Television (CCTV) aired a detailed video about President Lee's life, and Phoenix Hong Kong Channel published a character profile, saying, "Korea has greeted a president from a poor background." Chinese netizens also showed interest in his election. As of that morning, the hashtag about President Lee's election topped trending searches on the Chinese SNS platform Weibo.

Beijing = Kim Eun-jeong, special correspondent kej@hankyung.com