Friendship reaches new peaks as Shandong, South Korea unite for cross-border climb

[Video/chinadaily.com.cn]

Consul General of South Korea in Qingdao Ryu Chang-soo was amazed at the advanced robotic exoskeleton he wore and the robotic dogs for carrying heavy loads he experienced during his climb of Taishan Mountain in Taian, Shandong province on Feb 22.

A delegation led by Ryu climbed Taishan Mountain during the "Friendly Mountain Climbing" event between Taishan Mountain and Hallasan Mountain in Jeju.

The event was jointly hosted by Shandong province and Jeju province in South Korea to further promote exchange and cooperation between the two sides.

Taishan Mountain and Hallasan Mountain established a "sister mountain" relationship in 2009, and since then the two sides have maintained close and frequent exchanges, fostering a strong friendship, said Liu Fengmei, vice-mayor of Tai'an, during the event.

The event is expected to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, promote mutual learning among civilizations and further advance the economic and social development of both sides, she said.

Ryu said that Shandong and Jeju have built strong cooperative ties over the years and expressed hope that this joint mountain climbing event would serve as an opportunity to further enhance people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two regions in areas such as trade, culture, tourism, and education.

Participants of the joint mountain climbing event take a group photo on Taishan Mountain in Tai'an, Shandong province on Feb 22. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Participants of the joint mountain climbing event take a group photo on Hallasan Mountain in Jeju, South Korea on Feb 22. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]