The representative group of Hongseong County visited Heyhe City, China, and held practical consultations related to ginseng export, discussing friendly cooperation and other matters.
Hongseong County in Chungcheongnam-do announced on the 10th that it formed a delegation of three officials, including the Planning and Audit Officer, to visit Heihe, a representative city in northern China, from the 8th to the 10th.
The county visited to hold concrete working-level consultations for the development of a Korea-China independence history tourism route and to pioneer new sales channels for Hongseong's specialty product, gim (dried seaweed), in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Liberation and the Year of Visiting Hongseong County.
In addition, the delegation discussed specific schedules for signing a friendship and cooperation agreement with Heihe, China, scheduled for around June, conveyed an invitation to the Hongseong Barbecue Festival, and discussed participation in promotional exhibitions for gim during Heihe's culinary festival.
The delegation also toured the Heihe Free Trade Zone, a northern China trade hub, and Jijiang Hanyang, an agricultural product platform company in the Daheidao region, which is known as a symbol of cultural exchange, to discuss business exchanges, cooperation in tourism, and directions for agricultural product sales.
The county has designated Zhenjiang and Heihe as exchange hub cities in northern and southern China and plans to expand its cooperation platform with China. It has already signed a friendship and cooperation MOU with Zhenjiang and is working to elevate the relationship to a sister city agreement.
County Governor Lee Yongrok stated, "We plan to accelerate diplomacy with China to create new momentum for advancement in tourism, culture, and the economy," and added, "Marking 2025 as the inaugural year for strengthening international exchange capabilities, we will also speed up the development of new exchange cities in China with historical ties, such as Mudanjiang and Handan."
Meanwhile, Heihe is a representative city of the three northeastern provinces, located in the northern part of Heilongjiang Province. It administers one district, three county-level cities, and two counties, with a population of 1.28 million and an area of 54,390 km². Livestock farming, mining, and tourism are particularly developed, various festivals such as culinary festivals are held throughout the year, and the city shares the painful history of the independence struggle.
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