Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Yu In-chon, right, shakes hands with Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing in Seoul, Jan. 14. Yonhap

Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing emphasized the importance of fostering closer ties between Korean and Chinese citizens in a message shared on X, formerly Twitter, following his meeting with Korea's Culture Minister Yu In-chon.

“I am delighted to have met today with Yu In-chon,” Dai wrote. “We reached a consensus that Korea and China, as culturally connected neighboring countries, should strengthen people-to-people exchanges and foster closer ties between our citizens.”

Dai highlighted the robust exchange between the two nations, predicting that the number of travelers between Korea and China will exceed 7 million in 2024, with expectations for even higher figures this year.

“I hope that through mutual exchanges, the people of both nations will gain a deeper understanding of one another, solidify friendships and build lasting goodwill,” he said. “I encourage everyone to respect the laws and regulations of each country, honor local customs, demonstrate personal integrity and contribute to the enhancement of friendly cooperation between our nations in their own ways.”

The two also touched on the upcoming Harbin Winter Asian Games, set to commence on Feb. 7. Dai expressed optimism for the event and extended a warm welcome to Korean athletes and visitors.

“Currently, the film ‘Harbin' is enjoying widespread popularity in Korea. Both China and Korea are strong contenders in winter sports. We warmly welcome Korean athletes to compete in China and Korean citizens to visit Harbin to watch the games,” Dai said.

“We hope that athletes from both nations will showcase their best skills and sportsmanship under the Olympic spirit, building camaraderie in the process. We encourage both nations' citizens to give their enthusiastic support to the athletes!”