Relations with Beijing will also improve considerably. North Korea will seek normalisation of trade relations and economic assistance from China, while China will attempt to manage conflict escalation on the Korean Peninsula. Both China and Russia are likely to show a more tolerant attitude towards North Korea’s nuclear weapons status.

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he seeks to reset frayed ties with his country's biggest trading partner. Regional security and Beijing's unofficial ban on Korean pop culture are also on the agenda for Monday's meeting, which is their second summit since November, when Xi visited South Korea.

Lee's visit to Beijing ‌is first since he took office; Back-to-back meetings show Xi, Lee eager to boost ties, analysts say as over 200 South Korean business leaders accompany Lee to Beijing.

Lee’s visit is positive sign for China-South Korea relations. But both sides must heed the lessons from the THAAD dispute.

South Korea’s military reports projectile launch hours before Lee Jae Myung was due to head to Beijing

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a greenhouse farm construction site along the country's border with China on Friday, and encouraged youths and troops working on the construction in the new year,