The ‘Korea-China Youth Exchanges’ program 2011, hosted by the Korea Foundation and organized by the Joongang China Institute & Korea China Friendship Association will begin on May 23 and continue through May 31, 2011.
The Chinese delegation will consist of Jang Ting Yen, Vice-president of the Chinese People′s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), as a representative of the delegation and 150 prominent young civil servants, primarily from the Chinese central and municipal governments in Beijing, Neimenggu, Heilongjiang, Hunan, Xinjiang, in the sector of politics, diplomacy, economy, culture and journalism, who are expected to play important roles in China in the near future. Most of them are all under 35, in accordance with the program’s thrust of ‘next-generation exchanges’ between Korea and China.
The program has been planned under the theme of ′Travel for better understanding and deeper communication between Korea-China′; and following after Seoul, the delegation will visit Andong, Gyeongju, Tongyeoung, and Jeju.
During this eight-day visit, the delegation will have opportunities to visit the EGG (Experience Green Growth Hall), Seoul TOPIS (Transport Operation and Information Service) and KITA (Korea International Trade Association). In addition to that, they will also participate in special lectures prepared by MOFAT (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), mainly on the Korea-China relationship related to current and future Korea-China relations, Korea-China diplomacy, and Korean traditional culture and Confucianism respectively.
Aside from these visits, they will also have a meeting with the executives of JCI (Junior Chamber International-Korea) in Ulsan, and visit diverse cultural sites such as the National Museum of Korea, Gyeongbokgung Palace, UNESCO World Heritage site in Gyeongju, Hallyeohaesang National Park in Tongyeong, Jeju, and Chinatown in Incheon to gain a better perspective of modern and traditional cultural aspects in Korea.
As a follow-up measure after the Korea-China Summit held in Beijing in 2008, the program is focusing its aims on not only enhancing the young generation’s understanding about Korea and friendship, but also establishing future-oriented relations through expanding possible exchanges among next-generation leaders between the nations.
This year, the Korea Foundation plans to invite young-generation leaders from China, 150 persons in each group planned for the first and second half of the year, according to the participants’ specific fields of expertise. Moreover, a delegation of 100 Koreans will also be dispatched to China in July 2011. Through this program, more than 2,000 young people in both countries will benefit from these interactions for five years by 2012.
