A photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 10. EPA-Yonhap

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday that no specific arrangements have been finalized for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s potential visit to Seoul, adding that the two sides are still communicating over the matter.

The ministry also rejected reports that the visit had been delayed due to recent changes to Korea’s electronic arrival card system, describing the revision as “a simple administrative and technical adjustment” to improve traveler convenience. It stressed that this is unrelated to the scheduling of Wang’s trip, which is seen as a follow-up to the Korea-China summit in January.

A foreign ministry official said the change to the entry system has no bearing on the timing of Wang’s visit, adding that “it would be difficult to interpret the scheduling issue as reflecting any problem in bilateral relations.”

The official said the two sides have been communicating on various issues and that discussions on the visit are ongoing.

The two sides are maintaining close strategic communication through multiple channels, including a Korea-China Joint Economic Committee meeting held Monday in Beijing, where Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina met her Chinese counterpart.

Local media reports, however, said China had put Wang’s visit on hold after objecting to Seoul’s decision last month to remove the label “China (Taiwan)” from the departure and destination sections of the electronic entry form.

Reports said Seoul and Beijing had been coordinating for Wang’s visit since earlier this year, but the Chinese side objected after the change was made.

The issue emerged after the Korean government announced on March 31 that it would eliminate the departure and destination selection fields altogether from the electronic arrival card, following complaints from Taiwan over the wording.

The revision applies to all travelers entering Korea, as part of a broader adjustment to the electronic reporting system.

Source: Korea Times News