Kim Jong Un, South Korean Speaker Shake Hands at China Military Parade

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik exchanged a rare handshake and brief greetings at a military parade in China commemorating Japan's World War Two surrender. Woo was representing South Korea and was accompanied by several lawmakers, including experienced inter-Korean dialogue facilitators, while advocating for renewed peace talks and dialogue despite North Korea's recent rejection of diplomatic overtures. Woo also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit, urging Xi to attend the upcoming APEC summit and seeking Moscow's support for South Korean businesses in Russia. Putin expressed interest in inter-Korean relations and asked Woo if he had messages for Kim Jong Un, to which Woo emphasized the importance of building peace on the Korean Peninsula. The meeting is notable given the prolonged freeze in diplomatic engagement between the Koreas since the failed 2019 summit, with North Korea continuing weapons development and maintaining a hardline stance towards South Korea, which in turn has strengthened defense ties with the US. The event in Beijing, a symbolic venue historically tied to North Korea, thus provided a rare opportunity for direct contact amid ongoing tensions.