Cho Kyung-tae to Receive Taiwan's "Diplomatic Friendship Medal"... First Active Lawmaker

Rep. Cho Kyung-tae of the People Power Party (representing Saha-gu, Busan) will receive the "Diplomatic Friendship Medal" from the Taiwan government. Rep. Cho is the first sitting member of the National Assembly to receive a medal from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Rep. Cho announced this on his Facebook on the 29th, stating, "I have received a meaningful medal as a result of Korea-Taiwan friendship." The award ceremony will be held at a reception celebrating Taiwan's National Day (Double Tenth Day) and the 115th anniversary of its founding, to be held at Seoul Lotte Hotel on October 8th.

This medal is being presented as an expression of gratitude for efforts to promote friendship between Korea and Taiwan. Rep. Cho previously received the "Parliamentary Diplomatic Excellence Award" from the President of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan in 2015, and through this award, he is being recognized for his contributions to Korea-Taiwan friendly cooperation by both the Taiwan National Assembly and the government. Rep. Cho stated, "It is all the more meaningful that both the Taiwan National Assembly and government recognize my efforts for Korea-Taiwan friendship."

Rep. Cho said, "As a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea and as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, I have worked toward parliamentary exchanges and friendly cooperation between our two nations. This honor is thanks to the trust of both nations' peoples and parliaments who spent that time with me."

He continued, "Going forward, I will do my utmost to expand mutually beneficial cooperation between Korea and Taiwan in various fields including economy, culture, and parliamentary exchanges."

Rep. Cho is a six-term veteran lawmaker consistently elected from Saha-gu, Busan.