Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the province is pursuing digital diplomacy with Southern and Northern Asian countries.
▲On November 25, 2020, the Governor of Chungnam province, Yang Seung-jo, and the Governor of West Java, Indonesia, Mochamad Ridwan Kamil, talked online before signing an MOU for cooperation and exchange.
Chungnam
province is stepping up public diplomacy efforts despite the protracted COVID-19
crisis.
The
province will hold a video content contest, in which residents of both provinces
can participate to commemorate the signing of the MOU for friendship and
cooperation Chungnam province signed with West Java, Indonesia last November.
This
year, Chungnam seeks to establish a new relationship with Manama, Bahrain for
cooperation and exchange in health and medical services, which is in line with
the national government’s diplomatic and trade policies.
It
has supported Korean language and culture education projects for the
descendants of Koreans on Sakhalin Island, Russia.
Chungnam
aims to enhance the identity of Koreans living in Northern Asia through the expansion
of educational projects in Central Asia and China.
The
province will carry out a Korea-China independence movement history sharing
project on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral
diplomatic relations.
Furthermore,
it will explore a breakthrough in Korea-Japan relations through the continued expansion
of youth exchange, focused on K-pop following last year’s success.
Hong
Man-pyo, Director of International Trade Division of the provincial government
said, “Amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties in the world,
Chungnam province will continue extending its diplomatic horizons into Europe
and the Americas as well as Southern and Northern Asia, utilizing the strong
performance in digital public diplomacy and the knowhow achieved last year.
Meanwhile,
the province was selected as an exemplary case of public diplomacy for three consecutive
years, since 2019, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chungnam
province was presented with a Collaboration Award in recognition of its
performance in public diplomacy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year.
Besides,
Chungnam province was awarded for its contribution to the internationalization
of local governments from the Governors Association of Korea, proving that it
is the best local government for international exchange.
The
province signed an MOU for friendship and exchanges with West Java, Indonesia,
the ASEAN member country with the largest economy, to promote policy and
diplomacy in Southern Asian countries.
Chungnam
province established a base for new cooperation in the Russian Far East by
holding events for Koreans who returned to Korea after having lived there.
The
province expanded exchange with Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, creating new diplomatic momentum toward Central
Asian countries.
The
provincial government official added, “Last year, Chungnam province installed the
Northern Asia Exchange Team and Southern Asia Exchanges Team and opened a trade
office in Indonesia in tandem with changes in the world, and our success is
attributed to the invitation of private sector capabilities when we organized
the ‘regional economic, diplomatic strategy.’
International
Planning Team, International Trade Division
041-635-3364