Lee Myung-bak, South Korea’s president, has called on North Korea to emulate China’s economic model, as only “common prosperity” and peace could lead to an eventual reunification.

Mr Lee’s remarks in an interview with the Financial Times may surprise observers who have detected frustration from Seoul about Beijing’s refusal to condemn Pyongyang over the sinking of a South Korean warship in March. But Mr Lee said he knew China’s private views differed from what it said in public to preserve stability on the peninsula.

“I would really like [North Korea’s] chairman Kim [Jong-il] to see a lot more of China, the China of today, witnessing with his own eyes the result of what can happen to a country’s prosperity when you open up to the world,” Mr Lee said.