South Korean Representative to Taiwan Chung Byung-won said he has been taking a more systematic approach to the exchanges between the two sides since taking up his post in December last year.
Chung made the remarks during an interview with the Central News Agency.
The two countries have always had close economic, trade and tourism ties, he said, adding that bilateral exchanges are expected to increase following the inauguration of new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan and South Korea are each other’s fifth-largest trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching US$50.76 billion last year for annual growth of 41.98 percent, he said, citing government data.
The travel volume between the two countries was 2.5 million people before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, with each side being the other’s third-largest source of international tourists, Chung said.
South Korea and Taiwan are global leaders in the semiconductor industry, the former known for its high-quality memory chips, and the latter for its OEM and ODM products, he said.
South Korea and Taiwan are not only competitors in the global semiconductor industry, but are also close partners with complementary strengths, Chung said.
For instance, semiconductor-related products account for 44 percent of South Korea’s exports to Taiwan and 67 percent of Taiwan’s exports to South Korea, he said, citing data from last year.
Against this backdrop, Chung said that one of his priorities is to create a more systematic approach to supporting the ties between the two sides.
To that end, Seoul and Taipei signed a reciprocal driver’s license agreement in February, with immediate effect, to make driving easier for visitors on each side, he said.
Following the signing of a double taxation agreement in November last year, the two sides are now in talks on a potential financial cooperation pact, he said.
Those efforts are aimed at building systematic and structural support for closer bilateral exchanges on all fronts, he added.
With the expected easing of border controls in the second half of this year, Chung said he is hoping that travel between the two nations will return to pre-pandemic levels.
Chung said his office is also planning to hold a fashion show in Taipei in November, which would highlight traditional Korean clothing known as hanbok.
Next year, on the 30th anniversary of the Korean Mission in Taipei, a cultural week would be organized to celebrate the milestone, he said.
The 58-year-old said he has come to love the mountains of Taiwan, adding that he is planning a four-day climb next month to Yushan (玉山), Taiwan’s highest peak.
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