Visit to ROK by Chinese Young Envoys of Friendship

At the invitation of the Korea Foundation and Korea-China Friendship Association， a 200-member Chinese delegation of young envoys of friendship， headed by Mr. Liu Xinsheng， Adviser to the China-Korea （ROK） Friendship Association and former Chinese Ambassador to Brunei， paid a visit to the Republic of Korea from June 10 to 18. Members included young civil servants and university students from Beijing， Hebei， Henan， Hubei， Hunan， Guangxi， Chongqing， Sichuan， Xinjiang and Guizhou.

Experience Korea

Korea is a country where tradition and modernity coexist and restraint and openness mingle. The Chinese delegation witnessed the bustling streets of fashion， the convenience offered by the state-of-the-art public infrastructure， the modest people with good manners and the stability and harmony of society.

During the delegation’s visit to the Academy of Korean Studies， Dr. Xu Zhi， Director of the Confucius Institute at Inchon National University and Ms. Li Mei， postgraduate student majoring in history of art， made speeches about“power of Korean culture”. They told the delegation that Korea highly valued its cultural tradition， rich in content and treasured by succeeding generations.

In Kongju city， Chinese university students were divided into groups of three or five people and stayed with local families. Some students put on Korean national costumes and learned traditional etiquette； some played waist drums at family parties； some shopped at supermarkets with their “Korean moms” and learned to cook local dishes. The Chinese students quickly formed deep friendship with the host families and all were reluctant to part.

Learn from Korea for Common Development

By visiting museums and meeting with local government officials， the Chinese delegation learned more about the country’s development and the progress local governments had achieved by exploiting their advantages.

In Gangnam District of Seoul， the Chinese delegation was deeply impressed by the remarkable changes in the former villages. In Pyeongchang County of Gangwon Province， the delegation supported Korea’s determination to host the 2018 Winter Olympiad.

In Pohang City， the delegation highly appreciated the corporate development concept of “Resources are limited， but creativity is unlimited”. In Cheongju City， the delegation marveled at the miracles produced by LG’s technologies for healthy life. In Jeju Province， the delegation admired this charming island of “Oriental Hawaii”.

Delegates from local governments in China showed their willingness to learn from the advanced experience of Korea and further promote exchanges and cooperation between localities of the two countries.

Carry forward China-Korea Friendship

Senior officials from the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and educational authorities met the delegation.

Mr. Park Joon-yong， Director General of the Northeast Asian Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， said Korea would provide more convenience for bilateral personnel exchanges and become one of China’s neighbors with the closest ties in the next few decades. Mr. Chung Chongwook， former Korean Ambassador to China， pointed out that the Chinese dream was also the dream of Koreans and hoped that the youth of the two countries would work hand in hand to realize the same envisioned future.

Mr. Chung Chung-kil， President of the Academy of Korean Studies， expressed the idea that Korea and China were good neighbors throughout history with common social values， so the two countries should further their cooperation for the recovery of the world economy.

Mr. Han Suk-jung， Vice President of Dong-A University， told Chinese students that Premier Zhou Enlai advocated to “study for the rise of China”. Young people in China cherished great aspiration for the future and shouldered the arduous task of safeguarding peace and stability in Asia. He expected the Chinese delegation would contribute more to enhancing Korea-China friendship， and common progress in harmony.

Ambassador Liu Xinsheng， head of Chinese delegation， said there was an old Chinese saying： “A good neighbor is better than distant relatives”. In the short period of 21 years since China and Korea established diplomatic relations， great progress had been made.

Three reasons were applied here. First， China and Korea were close geographically. The two countries shared much common ground in cultural traditions and complemented with each other economically. Second， China and Korea both held that all countries， big or small， were equal. Third， China and Korea agreed to solve disputes through dialogues. The Chinese side was fully confident in a better future of bilateral relations and believed that the forthcoming visit to China by Korean President Park Geun-hye would surely be a success.

Ambassador Liu Xinsheng emphasized that the endeavor to develop China-Korea friendship would never end. He encouraged the youth in China and Korea to infuse positive energy into carrying forward China-Korea traditional friendship and making greater success for bilateral relations.

The theme for this visit to ROK was “2013 Journey to Korea for People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges”. The Chinese delegates summarized their visit by saying that Korea was a country both familiar and strange to them as they had only learned about it from Korean TV series， Korean food and media reports， which were superficial.

This visit provided an opportunity to experience， learn and forge friendly relations. Delegates broadened their horizon， now knew more about the country and its people， and felt more obliged to further develop the cause of China-Korea friendship.