South Korea’s Taiwan-Korean parliamentary friendship group made a low-profile visit to Taiwan, arriving on Wednesday and departing on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Saturday.
The delegation led by Korean National Assembly member and chair of the Taiwan-Korean parliamentary friendship group Cho Kyoung-tae visited Taiwan this week, the ministry said in a statement.
It was the first time that South Korean parliamentarians had visited Taiwan since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it said.
Photo: CNA
The ministry did not say why the visit was not announced until after the group’s departure.
The delegates met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), the ministry said.
A banquet in the delegation’s honor was hosted by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光), during which a variety of bilateral partnerships were discussed.
The delegation also paid a visit to the Mainland Affairs Council to discuss tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the relationship between North and South Korea.
The visit was a display of South Korea’s support for Taiwan, the ministry said.
Cho has led the Taiwan-Korean friendship group since 2012, and has been instrumental in many beneficial programs, such as an agreement for the countries to recognize each other’s driver’s licenses, and a bilateral tax agreement, the ministry said.
Taiwan and South Korea are ally members of a global democracy alliance, it added.
The visit was part of a string of trips made this year by legislators and parliamentarians from the US, Europe and Japan, to show support for Taiwan amid rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
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