Shandong province and Jeollanam-do in South Korea marked the 30th anniversary of friendship on March 19 in Jinan, the provincial capital, together with a Shandong–South Korea Food Festival.

The event was attended by around 100 participants, including officials, delegates from Jeollanam-do, and Shandong and South Korean chefs, as well as young representatives.

South Korean chefs present how to make kimbap, or seaweed rice rolls. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Chen Baiwei, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong, noted that Shandong's local exchanges with South Korea started early and are built on a solid foundation, continuing to generate new momentum.

Ryu Chang-soo, the consul general of South Korea in Qingdao, highlighted the achievements of exchanges and cooperation between Shandong province and South Korea across various fields. 

Consul General of South Korea in Qingdao Ryu Chang-soo delivers a speech during the opening ceremony on March 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

He also expressed his hope that Shandong and Jeollanam-do will use cuisine as a bridge to bring people together.

During the event, participants had the opportunity to learn how to prepare authentic Shandong and South Korean dishes. The lively, friendly atmosphere highlighted how cuisine can strengthen ties and inspire further collaboration.

South Korean guests learn to make baozi, a traditional Jinan cuisine. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shandong maintains close exchanges with South Korea, leveraging strong regional cooperation advantages. Cultural ties continue to deepen, and economic and trade cooperation has expanded, yielding fruitful results across multiple fields. Shandong currently has 29 sister-city relationships and 92 friendly cooperation partnerships with South Korea.