President Yoon Suk Yeol invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit South Korea during his meeting with top Chinese legislator Li Zhanshu.
 
In a press release, the top office said that Yoon and Li held talks for 70 minutes from 4 p.m. Friday at the Yongsan presidential compound in Seoul and they exchanged candid views on advancing bilateral relations.
 
Noting the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Yoon expressed hope that the relationship will further develop in terms of quality over the next three decades to be based on mutual respect and reciprocity.
 
Yoon extended an invitation for the Chinese president to visit South Korea saying Xi's visit will serve to open a new chapter in Seoul-Beijing relations for the next 30 years.
 
In response, Li, who is China's third highest-ranking official and chief of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, said he will deliver the invitation to President Xi, and also asked Yoon to visit China at a convenient time. 
 
The Chinese leader has not visited South Korea since his last visit in July 2014 after confrontation erupted in 2016 over Seoul's deployment of the U.S. missile defense system known as THAAD.