Roh Jae-heon Photo: VCG

 
"‘The Book of Changes’ says, ‘When two people are of the same mind, they can cut through metal,’ which vividly expresses the 33 years of cooperation between South Korea and China," said South Korean Ambassador to China Roh Jae-heon, on Thursday, according to the China News Service. 

Roh noted that since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992, they have engaged in extensive exchanges and cooperation in political, economic, cultural, and other fields, surpassing geographical proximity to become important strategic partners, China News Service reported.

The 2025 China (Shandong) – South Korea friendship week opened in Jinan in East China’s Shandong Province on Thursday. This event, a comprehensive exchange activity, is organized through the cooperation between local Chinese governments and the South Korean Embassy in China, aiming to expand friendly cooperation between businesses of the two countries, per the report.

“Shandong is the ‘bridgehead’ province for economic cooperation between South Korea and China,” said Roh. He noted that Shandong’s geographical location and infrastructure advantages are closely aligned with the sectors of interest to South Korean companies. 

“Today, business leaders from both South Korea and China have gathered in Shandong to focus on key areas such as green low-carbon industries and biomedicine. They are discussing cooperative projects that meet both countries’ industrial needs and can be practically implemented, further deepening bilateral economic and trade exchanges,” said Roh.

When discussing the future direction of China-South Korea relations, Roh once again cited the ancient saying, “When two people are of the same mind, they can cut through metal.” He expressed his hope that the two countries would work to expand civil exchanges, enhance mutual trust, stabilize supply chains, and deepen economic and trade cooperation. “I firmly believe that if the governments strengthen policy alignment, optimize cooperation mechanisms, and eliminate barriers to people-to-people exchanges and business cooperation, China-South Korea relations will become more solid and continue to prosper through pragmatic collaboration.”

As of 2024, China has remained South Korea's largest trading partner for 21 consecutive years, with bilateral trade volume reaching $328.08 billion in 2024.