South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has begun his visit to China as Beijing aims to strengthen ties amid heightened tensions with Japan over Taiwan.

After talks earlier this week, South Korea's president said he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help limit Pyongyang's nuclear program.

As South Korean President Lee began a state visit to China on Saturday, major Japanese media outlets closely tracked Beijing's efforts to ties.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea's capital region around 7:50 a.m. It stated that the missiles flew approximately 560 miles and that South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing the details of the launches.

Beijing is unlikely to lift its unofficial ban on Korean culture anytime soon, South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said in a radio interview on Monday.

A 535-pound bluefin tuna sold for a record $3.2 million at the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

The Chinese government has taken aim at Japan with a “rare earth control” card, protesting Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s remarks suggesting potential intervention in the event of a Taiwan contingency.

Check out this single bluefin tuna that a Japanese sushi chain bought for more than $3 million at the famed New Year fish auction in Tokyo, shattering a previous record.