ROK Young Friendship Envoys Delegation in China

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， Mr. Kim Sung-yup， former Council Member of the Korean Foundation (KF)， led a 120-member delegation of the Republic of Korea “Young Friendship Envoys” comprising young entrepreneurs， artists， deaf-mutes and high school students on a visit to Beijing， Hebei and Zhejiang from October 26 to November 2. This was the first delegation the CPAFFC received after the signing of the second five-year cooperation plan (2014?2018) with the KF.

Among the personages the group met were CPAFFC Vice President Hu Sishe， Deputy Governor Qin Boyong of Hebei Province， President Yang Quanshe and Executive Vice President Ye Changqing of the Hebei Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， Baoding City Vice Mayor Yan Liying and Executive Vice President Chen Aizhen of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Encourage Youth to Carry

Forward Friendship

The Chinese literary classic The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is popular in Korea. Since taking office， the new state leaders on both sides have attached great importance to youth exchanges. After discussions with the Hebei and the Zhejiang provincial people’s associations for friendship with foreign countries， the CPAFFC decided to arrange a “Journey of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” for the youth delegation.

In Zhuozhou City of Hebei Province， the Korean delegation visited San Yi Palace， in the peach garden where Liu Bei， Guan Yu and Zhang Fei become blood brothers. The visit enabled them to better understand the loyalty， benevolence and righteousness the three heroes showed towards each other. In Zhengding County where Chinese President Xi Jinping once worked， the delegation visited the Temple of Zhao Yun. In Fuyang City of Zhejiang， they saw the home village of Sun Quan， recalling his rule of the region east of the Yangtze River.

At the welcoming banquet， CPAFFC Vice President Hu Sishe said he believed the Journey of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms would help the young Korean delegates know more about Chinese history and culture and they， in turn， could help more Korean people develop an affection for China.

Mr. Kim Sung-yup said The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was a widely read classic enjoyed by Korean youth. The book emphasizes the Chinese spirit of doing one’s best and safeguarding the homeland， which represents the refined style of China as a major country， while the heroism it describes symbolizes the personality of Korean and Chinese youth today. The story of the three heroes becoming blood brothers reflects the Chinese tradition of cherishing friendship. Mr. Kim believed his delegation would understand more about the deep meaning of the word “friend” through this visit.

Promoting Understanding and Cooperation Through

Various Activities

Hebei and Zhejiang provincial people’s associations for friendship with foreign countries arranged activities according to the composition of Korean delegation.

In Baoding City， the delegation toured the facilities of the Yingli Group for advanced solar product technology. Then， the Korean delegates were divided into three groups to visit Hebei University， Baoding Foreign Language School and Baoding Center of Special Education respectively. In Shijiazhuang City of Hebei， the delegation visited Tayuanzhuang Village to meet youth representatives of the province.

In Hangzhou， the delegation， divided into four groups， visited the economic and technological development area， learning about favorable policies for foreign investment and successful experience of LG Electronics. With their own hands they made handicrafts together with students of Hangzhou School for the Deaf. In Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art and Zhejiang Shuren University， the Korean youth experienced Chinese culture in the classroom.

Deepen Local Governmental Cooperation by Young People

Hebei’s Deputy Governor Qin Boyong extended gratitude to the CPAFFC for its assistance in organizing the young people of her province to visit Korea and cultivating their ideal of striving for a better China-Korea relationship. Madame Qin believed the visit by Korean young delegates would further consolidate the cooperation between her province and Korea.

Vice President Chen Aizhen of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries expressed the hope that the youth of Zhejiang and Korea would conduct more exchanges by taking advantage of similarities in land area， population， length of coastal line and the number of islands.

Kim Sung-yup said， the accelerating process of globalization made it urgent for Korean and Chinese young people to strengthen communication， keep pace with the times and cope with changes in a better way. The leaders of the two countries had made important political decisions to strengthen youth exchanges， which serve as an important platform of communication and would surely play a more important role in the new five-year period between 2014 and 2018.

After visiting different provinces and cities， the Korean delegation had gained more insight into Chinese reality that would help them think more deeply on how to further develop Korea-China relations.

Many Korean delegation members said their visit provided insights into China’s past as well as present achievements and its brighter future， making them more determined to contribute to better bilateral relations. Some deaf-mute delegates expressed with sign language that this visit was the most heart-moving one in their lives and they would cherish the memory forever.