Ganghwa County and China's Zhoushan City Strengthen Youth Exchange on '20 Years of Friendship'

Ganghwa County (County Governor Park Yong-chul) announced that it is continuing youth international exchange with its sister city Zhoushan, China, based on their friendship relationship spanning over 20 years.

The '2026 Sister City Middle School Homestay Program in China' involved 12 students from Ganghwa Middle School and Ganghwa Girls' Middle School. 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 will not be limited to a simple visit but will develop into reciprocal exchange. When students from Zhoushan City visit Ganghwa County during winter break next year, the Ganghwa students who visited Zhoushan this time will meet again and continue the homestay exchange where they experience each other's culture by living in each other's homes.

Additionally, during this visit, Ganghwa Education Support Office and Zhoushan City Education Bureau will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding international exchange cooperation. Through this agreement, the youth exchange that Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City have been sustaining will be developed into a system where educational institutions of both regions officially cooperate, and a foundation will be established to pursue student exchange programs more systematically and continuously.

Since establishing friendly relations in 2001, Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City have consistently exchanged in various fields including administration, culture, youth, and civil servants for over 20 years. The two cities subsequently developed their relationship into sister cities and have maintained exchanges based on long-standing trust and friendship. The middle school homestay and cooperation between educational institutions are expected to serve as an opportunity for the exchange between the two cities to expand to the younger generation and education sector.

Ganghwa County Governor Park Yong-chul stated, "Ganghwa County and Zhoushan City are precious sister cities that have built deep trust and friendship through exchange in various fields over 20 years," and added, "I hope that through this homestay, students will understand each other's culture and build friendships with peers, and that exchange in youth and education sectors between the two cities will become even more active going forward."