South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to play a mediation role as South Korea seeks to improve relations with North Korea and restart nuclear talks. Lee proposed freezing North Korea’s nuclear programme in exchange for “compensation or some form of return,” including no additional production of nuclear weapons, no transfer of nuclear materials abroad, and no further development of ICBMs. Lee said his China trip was the first state visit by a South Korean leader in six years and said progress had been made in restoring trust. Pyongyang confirmed test flights of hypersonic missiles, and Kim Jong Un said it was important to expand the nuclear deterrent in light of “the recent geopolitical crisis.”