President Lee Jae Myung (third from right) on Jan. 5 speaks at a bilateral summit with China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Park Hye Ri

President Lee Jae Myung on Jan. 7 proposed drawing a median line within the Provisional Measures Zone (PMZ) in the Yellow (West) Sea to help resolve a bilateral row over Chinese structures installed in the PMZ.

At a luncheon with accompanying reporters at the Shanghai Press Center that afternoon, he said, "In the Yellow Sea, each side has its own waters and a jointly managed zone is in the middle," adding, "I proposed drawing a clear line in the middle and smoothly organizing it to allow each side to use it within that line. For that, we decided to hold working-level talks."

"They say two fish farm facilities are there and a facility to manage them," he added. "They say they will remove the management facility, so it will probably be moved."

The bilateral dispute is over Chinese structures installed in the PMZ, where the exclusive economic zones of both countries overlap.

That morning, President Lee also visited in Shanghai a Korean-Chinese summit on venture startups, highlighting the connection between the startup ecosystems of the two sides and joint growth from that.

To conclude his four-day state visit before flying home, he attended an event to mark the centennial anniversary of the Korean Provisional Government's building, paying tribute to the sacrifices and commitment of independence activists.

hrhr@korea.kr