The photo shows Xi Jinping(L), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, holds a welcoming ceremony for Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), ahead of their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's presidential Blue House on Tuesday welcomed the visit by Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to China, as it was anticipated to contribute to building peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Eui-keum, the Blue House spokesman, told a press briefing that Kim's visit to China was anticipated to contribute to the complete denuclearization of the peninsula and the settlement of permanent peace.

The spokesman said exchanges were underway between the two Koreas, between China and the DPRK, and between the DPRK and the United States, noting that each exchange was anticipated to advance others by creating a virtuous cycle among them.

He noted that South Korea hoped the exchange between China and the DPRK would become a stepping stone for the second DPRK-U.S. summit.

The DPRK leader and U.S. President Donald Trump met in Singapore in June last year, holding the first-ever DPRK-U.S. summit. Kim and Trump expressed their hopes to meet again in the near future.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's International Department spokesperson said in Beijing that Kim is visiting China from Jan. 7 to 10.