South Korea’s Taiwan-Korean parliamentary friendship group made a low-profile visit to Taiwan between Dec. 28 and 31, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Saturday.
In a press release, MOFA revealed that the delegation led by Korean National Assembly member and chair of the Taiwan-Korean parliamentary friendship group Cho Kyoung-tae visited Taiwan this week.
It was the first time that South Korean parliamentarians had visited Taiwan since the COVID-19 pandemic began, MOFA said.
It did not explain why it only revealed the visit after it had ended.
During their stay, the delegates met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃), according to MOFA.
A banquet was hosted by Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) in the delegation’s honor, during which the two sides discussed bilateral partnerships in various fields.
MOFA added that the delegation also paid a visit to the Mainland Affairs Council to exchange opinions on cross-Taiwan Strait tensions and the relationship between North and South Korea.
According to MOFA, the delegation’s visit was a display of Korean allies’ support for Taiwan.
MOFA added that Cho started serving as the head of South Korea’s Taiwan-Korean parliamentary friendship group in 2012 and has since become instrumental in various mutually beneficial programs such as a memorandum of understanding for Taiwan and Korea to recognize each other’s driver’s licenses, and a bilateral tax agreement.
MOFA said Taiwan and South Korea are ally members of a global democracy alliance.
Since May 2021, South Korea has voiced support for the importance of cross-strait stability and peace, MOFA said.
The visit is part of a string of trips made this year by legislators and parliamentarians from mainly the United States and European nations as well as Japan, to show support for Taiwan and to emphasize the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait amid rising tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
Source : Focus Taiwan
