South Korea's Hongseong County delegation visits Guiyang for cooperation

A delegation led by Seo Kye-won, Director-General of the Administrative and Safety Bureau of Hongseong County, Chungcheongnam-do Province, South Korea, visited Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, from March 24 to 27.

Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office and the visiting delegation held in-depth discussions on friendship-city relations, digital economy, trade, vocational education, culture, and tourism, reaching a series of consensuses.

The delegation visited the National Big Data (Guizhou) Comprehensive Pilot Zone Exchange and Experience Center, where they were briefed on the development of Guizhou's digital economy. They praised Guizhou's successful cases of deep integration between big data and the real economy, rural vitalization, public services, and social governance, and expressed their intention to further explore opportunities for cooperation.

Hongseong County delegation visits the National Big Data (Guizhou) Comprehensive Pilot Zone Exchange and Experience Center. [Photo/Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office]

At Guiyang Agricultural Investment Development Group (GAID), the two sides reached a preliminary consensus on agricultural product trade for a two-way flow. Hongseong County expressed interest in introducing processed strawberry powder to Guiyang's milk tea shops and seaweed snacks to local supermarkets. Meanwhile, GAID expressed its hope to export specialty products – such as cili juice, freeze-dried blueberries, and Guizhou sour soup – to South Korea.

Hongseong County delegation and GAID hold a matchmaking meeting. [Photo/Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office]

The delegation also toured Guizhou College of Electronic Science and Technology, where they learned about the institution's educational programs and its achievements in industry-education integration. Discussions were held on student and faculty exchanges, as well as international project cooperation. The delegation stated that upon returning to South Korea, they would promptly identify potential partner institutions to promote two-way talent exchange and industry-academia-research collaboration.

A visit to Vonature Co, a high-tech enterprise integrating the R&D, production, and sales of plant fiber elastic mattresses, brought the delegation to the production workshop, where they gained detailed insights into the company's market presence and performance in South Korea.

Hongseong County delegation visits Vonature Co's production workshop. [Photo/Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office]

The delegation also experienced the natural beauty of Tianhetan Scenic Area and the lively atmosphere of Qingyun Market. In-depth discussions took place on promoting tourism cooperation between the two regions, with valuable suggestions offered for attracting South Korean tourists, particularly middle-aged and elderly visitors.

Guizhou province and Chungcheongnam-do Province established a friendship relationship in 2016. This formal engagement between Guiyang and Hongseong County represents another step in advancing friendship-city relations under the "provincial + municipal" framework. It also exemplifies how the local foreign affairs department supports the growing trend of South Korean tourists visiting Guizhou.

Moving forward, Guiyang Foreign Affairs Office will continue to play a coordinating role and build platforms for enterprises, educational institutions, and organizations from both sides to promote practical cooperation across multiple sectors, contributing local-level efforts to the broader cause of China-South Korea friendship.