The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Korea Times file

South Korea expressed hope Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's ongoing trip to China will help the denuclearization and peace process.

"The government expects that high-level exchanges between the North and China, including a meeting between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Xi Jinping, will contribute to the complete denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula," a foreign ministry official said.

South Korea would continue to foster the "virtuous cycle" of denuclearization and related diplomatic activities by the Koreas and regional powers, the official said.

Earlier in the day, the North's state media confirmed that Kim was on a four-day trip to China that started Monday. Chinese news outlets carried similar reports.