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Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and other foreign leaders, including South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, walk toward Tiananmen Gate in Beijing on Sept. 3 to attend the 80th anniversary Victory Day parade. / Source: Xinhua–Yonhap

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, attending China’s 80th Victory Day celebrations as South Korea’s representative, shook hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Wednesday in Beijing.

Woo, the nation’s No. 2 protocol official, attended on behalf of President Lee Jae-myung and mingled with world leaders at Tiananmen Square. Arriving at around 8 a.m., he greeted Xi on the red carpet. Kim appeared at 8:18 a.m., followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jie-won, who joined the delegation, wrote on social media that Woo and his wife “went up to the Tiananmen Gate alongside Xi, Putin, and Kim,” noting that the South Korean delegation was seated in the VIP section, about ten rows to the left of the North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and international secretary Kim Song-nam.

According to Woo’s office, he urged Xi to attend the upcoming APEC summit. He exchanged greetings with Kim before the parade and asked Putin to support the 130 South Korean companies operating in Russia. Putin reportedly expressed special interest in inter-Korean relations and the Korean Peninsula.

When Putin asked Woo for his view on inter-Korean relations and what message he might deliver to Kim during a bilateral meeting, Woo responded: “I hope South and North Korea can usher in an era of peace and prosperity. Even in difficult circumstances, it is essential to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, and we will make every effort to achieve it.”

At the parade, Woo was seated at the far right side of the reviewing stand, while Xi sat in the center flanked by Putin on his right and Kim on his left — a seating arrangement that underscored the display of a North Korea-China-Russia “trilateral alignment.”

The three leaders also stood together at the center of an official group photo, with Xi accompanied by First Lady Peng Liyuan on his left and Kim beside her. Notably, Kim’s position was the same spot occupied by former South Korean President Park Geun-hye during the 70th anniversary parade in 2015.

During the walk to Tiananmen Gate, Xi, Putin, and Kim remained side by side, conversing along the way. Woo, meanwhile, followed several steps behind.

A total of 26 heads of state and government leaders were invited to the Beijing event, marking the first time since the end of the Cold War that the top leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia have gathered together in public.

On Thursday, Woo will meet Zhao Leji, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, followed by talks with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, who oversees China’s economy, science, technology, and future industries.