Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On the afternoon of June 16, Korean representative in Taipei Yang Chang-soo paid his first official visit to Mayor Ko Wen-Je since his appointment. Mr. Yang has previously served as head of European Affairs in the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, international relations ambassador for Gyeonggi Province and Korean representative in Guangzhou. He took up his current position as Korean representative in Taipei last November.

Mr. Yang said that Taiwan and Korea are very important trade partners. With a total trade volume of 28.6 billion US dollars, each is the other’s fifth largest trading partner. Last year alone, 830,000 Taiwanese people visited Korea, and 880,000 Koreans visited Taiwan. The current level of bilateral exchange is the highest since the Korean office in Taipei was set up. In addition to economic and cultural exchange, Mr. Yang also hopes for more collaboration in advanced and innovative industries. There are many ways our two countries can work together and learn from one another.

Mayor Ko said that he would be happy to see stronger relations between our two countries and also inquired about Korea’s economic miracle brought on by corporate-led development. Mr. Yang explained that twenty years ago it was imperative to develop economies of scale, and this is the reason behind the huge success. Recently, the world economy has fallen into stagnation, and large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) alike have struggled. The new president sees SMEs as the new engine for development, providing more support and assistance than ever before. Taiwan and Korea can learn from each other and find solutions. Finally, Mr. Yang expressed his hope that Taipei will continue to flourish under Mayor Ko’s leadership.