Key facts
- Cho is scheduled to hold talks with Wang and attend a dinner on the same day, per Seoul's foreign ministry.
- Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said the ministers plan wide-ranging discussions on mutual interests and regional issues.
- Cho's visit precedes President Lee Jae Myung's trip to the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19.
- A South Korean presidential official said a Trump-Kim meeting on the APEC sidelines was unlikely.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Beijing for two days starting November 13, 2026, for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Seoul's foreign ministry said on November 12. Cho is scheduled to hold talks with Wang and attend a dinner on the same day.
"The two ministers plan to hold wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations, developments on the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues," ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said at a press briefing. The visit follows an invitation from Wang during their talks in Seoul in August, when Cho called for Beijing to play a constructive role in bringing North Korea back to dialogue.
The trip precedes President Lee Jae Myung's planned attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and other world leaders are also expected to attend, and the gathering is expected to provide an opportunity for Xi and Trump to meet. Speculation has also surrounded a possible meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Trump's trip to Asia.
A South Korean presidential official said on November 12 that a Trump-Kim meeting on the APEC sidelines was unlikely, while noting it was difficult to predict whether contact between the two leaders might take place before or after the summit, citing "many unpredictable factors." Park said Seoul sees little likelihood of concrete moves toward renewed US-North Korea dialogue and that it is closely monitoring developments.