China's publicity chief to make four-day visit to South Korea

Liu Qibao, a Politburo member of China's Communist Party (CPC), head of the Central Committee's Publicity Department [Aju News DB]

China's publicity chief Liu Qibao will start a four-day visit to South Korea this week that would include talks with Foreign Minister Yoon Byung-se and a trip to the southernmost resort island of Jeju for a photo exhibition.

Liu, a Politburo member of China's Communist Party (CPC) who heads the Central Committee's Publicity Department, will arrive in South Korea on Friday and hold talks with Yoon the next day to discuss a broad range of issues on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea's foreign ministry said.

Liu's visit is expected to bring up the issue of expanding the "Soft Power", a new strategy pushed by China to strengthen and expand the so-called "public diplomacy" as a global power.

On the first day of his visit, Liu will fly to Jeju and attend "Beautiful China, Beautiful Korea" an exhibition featuring Chinese and South Korean photo artists at the International Peace Center. Jeju governor Won Heeryong and other provincial officials will be present.

After enjoying a gallery of photographs, Liu is to participate in a dinner together with the governor, Korea Tourism Organization President Jung Chang-soo and other dignitaries.

On Saturday, Liu will fly back to Seoul for talks with Yoon before visiting the Dongyang Arts Center, South Korea's first Chinese film theater, the following day. On Monday, Liu will show up at a forum to be attended by senior South Korean and Chinese journalists.

During his trip to the theater, Liu will mingle with a host of South Korean and Chinese officials including South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Kim Jong-deok, China's ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong, and Guo Yezhou, the Vice Minister of International Department.

The theater, jointly run by Seoul's Jongno district office and the Chinese Cultural Center in South Korea, opened last month at an art district to screen old and new Chinese films.

The theater has screened Chinese films such as "Red Sorghum" directed by Zhang Yimou who won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1988, and "Meet Miss Anxiety," a 2014 Chinese film directed by South Korea's Kwak Jae-yong.

The Chinese cultural center offers more than two films a month at no charge. The project has been sponsored by the Seoul city government to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries. Dongyang will also host various China-related cultural programs.

The theater underlines growing ties between Seoul and Beijing, which have agreed to carry out 69 cultural projects this year such as academic seminars, concerts and a joint study of pandas.

A pair of Chinese giant pandas arrived in South Korea in early March to live at Samsung Everland's amusement park. South Korea became the 14th country to have the endangered species.

Beijing has agreed to send them to Seoul following Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to South Korea in 2014. China has a tradition of sending pandas to foreign countries as a gesture of friendship.

Aju News Park Sae-jin = swatchsjp@ajunews.com

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

China's publicity chief to make four-day visit to South Korea

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