Governor Park Soo-hyun of South Chungcheong Province visited the Australian Embassy in Korea on the 2nd to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between the province and Australia with Jeff Robinson, Australian Ambassador to Korea.

This meeting was arranged to broaden future cooperation fields based on existing collaborations between the two regions, as South Korea and Australia have maintained their friendship for 65 years since establishing diplomatic relations in 1961, and South Chungcheong Province and South Australia have maintained exchange and cooperation relations since 1999.

Mentioning Australia's "Mateship" spirit, Governor Park emphasized the need to expand practical cooperation based on the long-built friendship between South Korea and Australia, and between South Chungcheong Province and South Australia.

In particular, given that South Chungcheong Province and South Australia share common challenges of energy transition and response to the climate crisis, Governor Park conveyed the intention to strengthen cooperation in related fields and create new cooperation opportunities by linking the strengths of both regions.

While the province is pursuing industrial transformation based on manufacturing, South Australia holds an advantage in renewable energy and high-quality (premium) agri-food sectors, leaving ample room for expanding exchange and cooperation in these areas.

Furthermore, as South Australia is being discussed as a strong candidate for the next Asia-Pacific regional co-chair of the Under2 Coalition following South Chungcheong Province, expectations are high that solidarity between the two regions for responding to the climate crisis and realizing carbon neutrality can be further strengthened.

Governor Park stated, "The expansion and deepening of cooperation between South Chungcheong Province and South Australia, based on Mateship, will be the seeds that open up the future of both regions," adding, "I hope this becomes a new opportunity for businesses and leads to better jobs and lives for residents in both regions who have shared a long friendship."

In addition, Governor Park invited Ambassador Jeff Robinson to the "2027 Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo," scheduled to be held in February next year, conveying his intention to provide an opportunity to directly experience the province's excellent strawberries and agri-food products.

Meanwhile, South Chungcheong Province and South Australia have exchanged views in various fields such as economy, trade, environment, culture, and tourism since initiating friendly exchanges in 1999, and the province plans to continue expanding practical exchanges and cooperation linked to the strengths of both regions in the future.

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]