A senior South Korean legislator on Tuesday proposed a ferry
service between South Korea and China to promote exchanges and
cooperation between young people of the two countries.
Park Geun-hye, former president of the Grand National Party
(GNP), said she hoped South Korea and China could operate ferry
services to improve travel between the two countries and increase
exchanges.
"The distance between our two countries is just 300 nautical
miles. If ferries carrying trains or cars operated, young Koreans
could drive to Beijing to climb the Great Wall, and young Chinese
could go to Seoul to see performances," said Park.
Park, 54, the daughter of former President Park Chung-hee,
arrived in Beijing on Monday for a five-day visit at the invitation
of the International Department of the Communist Party of
China.
She attached great importance to exchanges and cooperation
between young people, saying it was "the foundation and guarantee"
for future relations.
"It will definitely promote mutual understanding and friendly
ties," she said.
Park resigned in July from the GNP, the main South Korean
opposition party, to prepare for the presidential election in
2007.
She spoke highly of state-to-state and party-to-party relations
between South Korea and China. "Unprecedented achievements" had
been made in the economic, security, cultural, science and
technology fields in the past 14 years, said Park.
"If we win the presidential election, we will continue the
friendly policy towards China and intensify bilateral cooperation,"
she said.
Park called for a united voice and closer cooperation between
South Korea and China on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
She appreciated China's constructive role in Korean Peninsula
affairs. China had made "great efforts" to push forward nuclear
talks, said Park.
China's role was even more important at the current stage, she
said, adding she believed China could exert a positive influence on
the issue.
(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2006)
