South Korean president Lee Jae Myung depicted himself and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a pair of affectionate penguins in a social media post expressing hope for peaceful coexistence and an end to hostility.
The post came as Mr Lee wrapped up a cautious but diplomatically significant four-day visit to China on Wednesday, an outreach aimed at resetting ties with Beijing while navigating sensitivities with Washington and China’s strained relations with Japan.
During his summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping, Mr Lee said he urged Beijing to play a mediating role on Korean peninsula issues and in particular help revive stalled dialogue with North Korea.
Taking to X, Mr Lee shared an image of two penguins from Pororo the Little Penguin, a hugely popular South Korean children’s animated series, and referred to them as “Po Jae Myung and Po Jong Un”.
“Someday, even on this Korean Peninsula, the abnormality of chaos and hostility will be overcome, and a day will come when we respect one another and coexist and prosper together,” he wrote.
“Go meet, Po Jae Myung and Po Jong Un.”
<이 한반도에도 언젠가는 혼란과 적대의 비정상이 극복되고, 서로 존중하며 공존공영하는 날이 오겠지요. 북측에도 새해 복 많이 내리기를..>
— 이재명 (@Jaemyung_Lee) January 7, 2026
만나라, 뽀재명과 뽀정은
https://t.co/UJBYAYx2vh
The animated series, dubbed “Korea’s Mickey Mouse” for its global success, was seen as a rare example of cross-border cooperation with parts of its animation outsourced to a North Korean studio in the early 2000s.
Since taking office in June, Mr Lee’s liberal government has sought to reopen channels with Pyongyang, seeking to revive inter-Korea ties that deteriorated sharply under his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol.
North Korea has refused to engage in dialogue with South Korea and the US since withdrawing in 2023 from a 2018 military pact designed to reduce tensions along the border. Pyongyang has said it sees Mr Lee’s administration as little different from its conservative predecessor, citing what it calls Seoul’s “blind trust” in its alliance with Washington.
Speaking to reporters during the final leg of his China trip in Shanghai, Mr Lee said he told Mr Xi that all communication channels with North Korea were blocked and asked Beijing to help facilitate dialogue.
“We’re making efforts, but all our channels are completely blocked, so we can’t communicate at all,” Mr Lee said.
“I told him it would be good for China to play the role of a mediator for peace.”
He said Mr Xi acknowledged Seoul’s efforts and urged patience on issues related to North Korea.
Chinese premier Li Qiang conveyed a similar message during a separate meeting on Tuesday.
“Roles of neighbours are necessary,” Mr Lee said. “We requested China to play such a role, and China said it will make such efforts.”
At his second summit with Mr Xi in less than three months, Mr Lee sought to open what Seoul described as a “new phase” in relations with China after several frosty years, including a prolonged dispute over the deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea in 2017 that led to unofficial restrictions on South Korean cultural exports.
“President Xi said, ‘Talk is easy, but action is not so easy,’” Mr Lee said, reflecting on the challenges of building trust and mutual respect between the neighbouring countries.
During the visit, Mr Lee received an electric bicycle and other gifts from Mr Xi, Yonhap news agency reported, citing sources. The Chinese leader also presented Mr Lee with Chinese ceramics, a coffee cup set, a painting as well as apples and dried persimmons.
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