Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ Ｔｅｅｎａｇｅｒｓ ａｎｄ Ｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ ｆｒｏｍ Ｓｉｃｈｕａｎ Ｅａｒｔｈｑｕａｋｅ－Ｈｉｔ Ａｒｅａｓ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ ＲＯＫ

At the invitation of the Korea-China Friendship Association of Culture and Economy (KCFACE)， a 28-memebr delegation of teenagers and children from Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areasledby CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin paid a goodwill visit to the ROK from May 15 to 19. Twenty members of the delegation were teenagers and children from the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areas， the majority of whom were orphaned by the earthquake.

On the afternoon of May 17， ROK President Lee Myung-bak and his wife held a meeting on the lawn of the Cheongwadae Presidential Palace to welcome the delegation. Chinese Ambassador to ROK Cheng Yonghua was present. Jang Nara， a Korean singer popular among the young people， was invited to preside over the meeting in both Chinese and Korean languages.

In her speech， CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin expressed her thanks to President Lee Myung-bak and his wife for inviting teenagers and children from the quake-hit areas to the Cheongwadae Presidential Palace and their care for the Chinese people， particularly for the children from Sichuan quake areas. She said， the Chinese people and the children in the quake areas will never forget the scene that a year ago regardless of the danger of aftershocks President Lee went to the severely afflicted area to express sympathy and solicitude for the people of the disaster areas and pay a cordial visit to the pupils studying in a temporary tent school. President Lee dispatched a 47-member rescue team at the earliest possible time to the quake-hit areas to take part in the relief work， making the people there feel deeply the true love from the ROK people. Li said， in the past year， with the care of the Chinese government and great support from the people of the whole country， the people in the disaster areas have made unremitting efforts and overcome all difficulties with an indomitable will to rebuild their villages and towns， bringing a tremendous change to the quake areas.

At the meeting， President Lee Myung-bak recognized at first glance Wei Yuehao whom he had taken in his arms when he visited Sichuan shortly after the earthquake. President Lee gently patted the boy on the head and said to him: “You have grown taller.”

President Lee gave a touching speech. He said， in May last year I visited the quake-stricken areas when there were still aftershocks. The scene in the disaster areas was very miserable. There is a common saying in the ROK: “the closer friends we are， the more we should help each other in times of difficulty.” The ROK is China’s good neighbour. When China is in difficulty， we will definitely lend a helping hand.

President Lee spoke highly of the utmost efforts the Chinese Government had made to rebuild the disaster areas. He said， the reconstruction work is progressing rapidly. China has accomplished what any other country in the world is unable to. The achievements in the fight against the earthquake and relief work are rarely seen in the world.

He said， “Last year when I went to the disaster area to see the children， Wei Yuehao was the first child who threw himself into my arms. He is now standing beside me. I feel very happy to see him grow taller. I feel relieved when I see the children’s optimistic and dauntless spirit.” He encouraged the children from China’s disaster areas， saying: “You were greatly shocked in the earthquake. I am sure that you can overcome difficulties. In face of any difficulty and misery， we should not lose hope. I hope you will grow up healthily and become qualified personnel the country needs.”

President Lee’s sincere words touched everyone present. Wei Yuehao， on behalf of the teenagers and children from the disaster areas， read out his letter to Grandpa Lee Myung-bak written on leaving China for the ROK. In the letter， he said， “Dear Grandpa Lee， I haven’t seen you for a year. How are you? I miss you very much. I hope you are fit and everything is well with you. The May 12 earthquake has brought us disasters and misery， but we also experienced the loving care and warmth you brought to us. We are deeply moved by your care.” The letter in simple language was hand-written by Wei Yuehao on a piece of paper， which expressed an ordinary child’s heartfelt gratitude to a foreign leader who showed care for him.President Lee and his wife listened to him attentively， with smiles on their face.

The children of the delegation gave performance at the meeting. Eight children of the Qiang ethnic group in traditional costumes performed a Qiang dance for President Lee and his wife. Then the children sang the song A Grateful Heart， while using sign language to tell the meaning of the song to express their sincere gratitude to all those who had shown care for them.

After that， the children gathered round President Lee and gave him their best wishes. President Lee and his wife inquired about their study and life and put gifts into the children’s hands. President Lee hugged the children and encouraged them to be strong. Finally， President Lee carried Wei Yuehao in his arms， saying with a smile: “You are much heavier than last year.”

The delegation presented in return 12 calligraphic works and paintings by 12 native Sichuan calligraphers and painters to thank President Lee for his care for the orphans in the disaster areas on behalf of the Sichuan people. The meeting scheduled for 30 minutes lasted for about an hour in a warm atmosphere. President Lee said， he hoped that he would have a chance to visit Sichuan again.

On the evening of May 18， the KCFACE held a seeing-off ceremony. The children of the delegation in Korean traditional costumes watched with great interest the popular street dance performed by ROK elder brothers and sisters. They also performed on the occasion.

CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin thanked the KCFACE for the itinerary and psychological consultation it had meticulously arranged for the children. She said， the intimate and friendly exchanges between the children of the two countries in the past five days have greatly enhanced mutual understanding and friendship. Though they didn’t understand each other’language， the children talked with each other in sign language and simple English and forged deep friendship. The future of the cause of friendship between the two countries relies on the youth. To promote the friendship between the Chinese and ROK people should start from promoting friendship between youth of the two countries. It is necessary to bring up successors to the cause of friendship and sow the seeds of friendship in the hearts of children. She invited 20 ROK children to visit China and go to Sichuan to meet their Chinese pals. Li specially expressed her heartfelt thanks to all the staffers of the KCFACE with Ms. Kim Young Aeh as chairperson and the volunteers for their meticulous care. Through these friendly activities the delegation members fully experienced the true love from the ROK people.

During the delegation’s stay in the ROK， Oh Se-hoon， mayor of Seoul and an old friend of the CPAFFC， had a cordial meeting with the delegation. He said， he feels very happy on seeing the children from the disaster areas healthy and lively. He hoped the ROK and Chinese children would communicate with each other by surmounting the language barrier and become successors to the cause of ROK-China friendship in the future.

The KCFACE arranged for the children many activities such as skiing in an indoor ski ground， visiting a children’s park to have close contact with various kinds of small animals， visiting a science and technology museum， a boat trip on the Han River and a visit to Lotte World， one of the largest indoor amusement parks in the world. The children’s optimistic attitude towards life， their ability to take care of themselves and their spirit of caring for and cooperating with each other moved the personages of various social circles in the ROK. The Chinese and ROK children with their honest and pure hearts touched everyone， from the President down to ordinary people.