'20-Year Friendship' Between Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City of China Takes Off with Youth Exchange

Ganghwa County (County Governor Park Yong-chul) announced that it is continuing youth international exchange with Zhoushan City, its sister city in China, based on over 20 years of friendly relations.

In the '2026 China Sister City Middle School Homestay' program, 12 students from Ganghwa Middle School and Ganghwa Girls' Middle School participated. The students departed for Zhoushan City in Zhejiang Province, China on the 22nd and are conducting local exchange activities for 4 nights and 5 days.

This exchange is not limited to a simple visit but is expected to develop into mutual exchange. The Ganghwa County students visiting Zhoushan City this time will meet again when Zhoushan City students visit Ganghwa County during next winter break, where they will continue homestay exchange by living in each other's homes and experiencing their respective cultures.

Additionally, during this visit, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on international exchange cooperation will be signed between the Ganghwa County Office of Education and the Zhoushan City Bureau of Education. Through this agreement, the plan is to develop the youth exchange that Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City have continuously maintained into a system of official cooperation between the two regions' educational institutions, and to establish a foundation for more systematic and sustained promotion of student exchange programs.

Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City have maintained friendly relations since 2001 and have consistently exchanged with each other in various fields including administration, culture, youth, and civil servants for over 20 years. Subsequently, the two cities, which developed their relationship into a sister city partnership, have continued exchange based on long-standing trust and friendship. This middle school homestay and cooperation between educational institutions is expected to become an opportunity for the exchange between the two cities to expand to future generations and the education sector.

County Governor Park Yong-chul of Ganghwa County stated, "Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City are precious sister cities that have built deep trust and friendship through exchange in various fields over more than 20 years," and added, "Through this homestay, I hope students will understand each other's cultures and build friendship with their peers, and I look forward to more active exchange in youth and education fields between the two cities in the future."

천의현 대표이사 euihyun@suwonilbo.kr