Prime Minister Han Duck-soo held a series of meetings with high-ranking officials and others visiting China on Saturday, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and the Kuwaiti crown prince, his office said.

The meetings took place on the margins of the Asian Games in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, where Han was visiting to attend the opening ceremony of the sports event.

In the meeting with Bach, Han asked for the IOC's attention to and support for a successful opening of the upcoming 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, slated to take place in the South Korean eastern province of Gangwon in January.

Bach, in response, expressed hope for South Korea and the IOC to deepen exchanges and cooperation in the sports field, according to Han's office.

Han then met with Johari Bin Abdul, the lower house speaker of the Malaysian parliament, and asked for Malaysia's support for South Korea's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern city of Busan.

Han also separately met with Kuwaiti Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and discussed ways to promote economic cooperation in areas including energy, infrastructure and defense.

Han plans to visit the training center of the South Korean athletes Sunday and watch them play at the competition.

Earlier, Han met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and had a broad discussion concerning bilateral relations, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and regional issues, his office said.

Xi said at the meeting he will seriously consider a visit to South Korea, according to a Seoul official, in response to the invitation extended by President Yoon Suk Yeol when they met on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November last year.

Source: Yonhap News Agency