New South Korean representative in Taipei meets Tainan mayor to deepen Taiwan-Korea ties

The new head of South Korea’s representative office in Taipei, Hwang Jae-ho, met Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che to discuss taking Taiwan-Korea exchanges to a higher level.

Their conversation covered culture, tourism, agricultural products and sports. Huang called for more student visits, athletic exchanges and tourism cooperation so that ties between Tainan and South Korea could continue across generations.

Huang congratulated Hwang on taking up his post in July and highlighted Tainan’s long-standing connections with South Korea. Tainan has maintained a sister-city relationship with Gwangju for more than 50 years, formed a friendship-city partnership with Gyeongju and signed a memorandum on agricultural-product exchanges with Pyeongtaek.

Huang said Tainan combines cultural depth, technological strength and agricultural advantages. He expressed hope for expanded agricultural and quarantine cooperation, more Tainan products entering the South Korean market and greater opportunities for people in Taiwan to sample Korean fruit. He added that he had visited South Korea three times this year to promote Tainan tourism and agricultural products, receiving a strong response. Korean performers have also appeared at Tainan’s Christmas and New Year events.

Hwang thanked the city government for its welcome and joked that sharing the mayor’s surname made him feel especially close to him. He described Tainan as a city that combines history and innovation and attracts Korean visitors. Hwang pointed to its semiconductor industry, food culture, tourism resources and agricultural products, and said film cooperation could deepen cultural ties and encourage two-way tourism. He has visited Tainan privately several times and said he looked forward to expanding exchanges with Huang. Hwang has researched international relations and East Asian affairs and previously studied and worked as a visiting scholar in Taiwan.