CHINESE PRESIDENT TO VISIT S. KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

Cheong Wa Dae reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping will definitely visit Korea in the first half of next year. The Presidential Office also revealed what the two leaders talked about expanded human exchanges. The bilateral summit is expected to produce many meaningful results as tension mounts in the region with Pyongyang and Washington deadlocked over nuclear talks.

[Pkg]

At a summit held in Beijing on Monday, President Moon Jae-in invited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to make his first visit to Korea in five years.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN : "I hope to see you again in Seoul next year."

Seoul announced President Xi Jinping's answer that very day.

[Soundbite] KO MIN-JUNG(PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESWOMAN(DEC. 23, IN-FLIGHT BRIEFING)) : "President Xi thanked for the invitation and said he would consider the visit."

The Chinese leader's visit became more feasible on Wednesday. Cheong Wa Dae said that although some final tuning remains, President Xi will definitely visit Korea in the first half of next year. Also, it's very likely that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will join the trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan slated for next year in Korea. Experts believe that depending on the timing, President Xi's visit to South Korea will likely leave far-reaching repercussions on the nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington as well as the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula. China may even lift its ban on Korean pop culture, which had been imposed following the deployment of the high-altitude missile defense system in Korea. The two leaders again discussed the ways to expand human exchanges between the two countries. President Moon proposed to designate the year 2022, when the two nations will be marking the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, as the year of Korea-China culture and tourism exchanges, and start promoting bilateral human exchanges next year. President Xi supported the idea. Tension in the region has been mounting as North Korea's self-imposed year-end deadline approaches. Rather than directly asking Beijing to stop Pyongyang's provocation, Seoul appears to be focusing on creating an environment that encourages denuclearization, such as President Xi's visit to South Korea. Detailed reports of the summit development also appear to be a message for North Korea.