(c) Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

South Korea and Japan are marking the 40th anniversary of their tourism cooperation by exploring ways to expand bilateral tourism exchanges, revitalize local tourism, and attract out-of-region tourists.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced that it is holding the 40th Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Conference and the Korea-Japan Tourism Business Forum with the Japan Tourism Agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism from the 9th to the 10th at Hotel Hyundai by Lahan in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province.

The Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Conference is a consultative body launched in 1986 to develop relations between the two countries through tourism cooperation. Except for one postponement in 2020 due to COVID-19, it has been held alternately in South Korea and Japan over the past 40 years, contributing to tourism exchanges and friendship promotion between the two nations.

About 100 people, including chief delegates Kang Jeong-won, Director-General for Tourism Policy at the MCST, and Sasaji Gen, Director-General for International Tourism at the Japan Tourism Agency, as well as representatives from central and local governments, related organizations, and the tourism and aviation industries of both countries, are attending this conference. Participants are discussing the future of bilateral tourism exchanges under the theme of "Continuous Expansion of Korea-Japan Tourism Exchanges and Strengthening Cooperation to Attract Out-of-Region Tourists."

South Korea is introducing major policies for expanding Korea-Japan tourism cooperation and revitalizing inbound tourism to Korea, while Japan is presenting policies for vitalizing its citizens' overseas travel and attracting local tourists. Mokpo City, Wakayama Prefecture of Japan, the Korea Tourism Organization, the Japan National Tourism Organization, and tourism industry associations from both countries are also presenting opinions to expand tourism exchanges.

The two countries also plan to sign an agreement containing their commitment to pursue a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) in the tourism sector to lay an institutional foundation for stable and continuous tourism cooperation.

At the Korea-Japan Tourism Business Forum, travel agencies, airlines, and academic experts from both countries are sharing the latest tourism trends under themes such as strengthening cooperation to attract out-of-region tourists, revitalizing local tourism, and boosting inbound and outbound tourism. Practical cooperation measures, such as developing joint tourism products connecting regions, are also being discussed.

Following the meetings, event participants will tour Mokpo's remaining history of Korea-Japan exchanges and maritime exchange heritage. They are scheduled to visit Gongsaengwon, which preserves the history of Korea-Japan private-level exchanges and sharing, the Modern History and Culture Space, the Maritime Heritage Exhibition Hall of the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage showcasing 14th-century East Asian maritime exchange history, and a reconstructed vessel of the Joseon Tongsinsa (Envoys), which was a symbol of past peace exchanges.

Taking this event as an opportunity, the MCST plans to enhance mutual understanding of the history and culture of both countries, and based on this, expand tourism exchanges centered on provinces and regions.

Kang Jeong-won, Director-General for Tourism Policy at the MCST, said, "South Korea and Japan are neighbors who visit each other the most and are cooperative partners for attracting out-of-region tourists," adding, "Based on the trust built by the tourism authorities of both countries over the past 40 years, we will expand tourism exchanges to provinces and regions and discover sustainable future cooperation tasks."