Kim Dong-yeon Meets Korean Students at China's Tsinghua University: "Balanced Diplomacy Without Bias Is Important"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is meeting and talking with Korean international students attending Tsinghua University in China at a restaurant on the 2nd.

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who is visiting China, met with Korean international students enrolled at Tsinghua University to exchange opinions on various topics including ways to improve Korea-China relations, local currency, and policies supporting future growth technologies.

On the 2nd, Governor Kim held a meeting with 32 Korean international students, including Sung Ho-tae, president of the Korean Student Association at Tsinghua University, at a restaurant near Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The Korean Student Association at Tsinghua University is an organization created to assist with living in China and school life, currently with about 300 members. This meeting was arranged after the Korean Student Association at Tsinghua University requested the meeting with Governor Kim.

Jeon Ye-hyung, the student director of the Tsinghua University Student Association, sent a social media message (Instagram DM) to Governor Kim on the 1st, saying, "I heard that you are visiting China, so I am reaching out. I was very envious to hear about your good meeting with University of Michigan students during your recent Michigan trip. If you visit Beijing on this trip, I hope you could come to Tsinghua University and have a good meeting with the youth."

Governor Kim adjusted part of his Beijing visit schedule immediately after seeing the message and arranged a meeting with the youth. The meeting lasted two hours and was conducted in a Q&A format between the students and Governor Kim, with many questions asked as the students wanted to engage in conversation.

A student majoring in aerospace at the university said, "I live in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province," and expressed regret, "I have been using the local currency effectively, but the budget was completely cut."

Governor Kim responded, "The worst thing in policy is inconsistency and unpredictability. When changing policies, one must consider the policy transition costs caused by breaking consistency. Gyeonggi Province restored all the local currency budgets that were cut last year. We will try to preserve it as much as possible in the National Assembly. We will strive to maintain the issuance of local currency at this year’s level."

There was also a question about the priority criteria for budget allocation, seemingly considering Governor Kim’s experience as Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.

Governor Kim stated, "The country must have a vision, and the budget should be set by prioritizing policies to realize that vision. If this is not clear, the budget becomes a mess."

Regarding the importance and direction of private diplomacy to improve Korea-China relations, he emphasized, "Balanced diplomacy that is not biased toward one side is necessary. I hope diplomacy aligned with national interests that can imprint South Korea in the international community on democracy, human rights, free trade, and climate change response will be conducted."

When asked about Gyeonggi Province’s future plans in light of China’s investment in future technologies, he explained, "Since taking office, we created the Future Growth Industry Bureau as the first organizational reform and established six divisions focused on future industries such as semiconductors, bio, and advanced mobility. Gyeonggi Province has various plans, including promoting the creation of 20 startup hubs like Pangyo, which is the center of future growth technologies."

Governor Kim clearly opposed the question regarding the incorporation of Gimpo City into Seoul, stating that establishing a Special Self-Governing Province in Northern Gyeonggi is more important.

Sung Ho-tae, president of the Tsinghua University Korean Student Association, said, "Many students wanted to have a deep conversation with the governor, so we voluntarily arranged this meeting. Thank you for responding to our spontaneous request. I strongly agreed with the governor’s opinions on Korea-China relations."

Jeon Ye-hyung, who sent a direct message to Governor Kim, said, "I am living my school life with a mission as a young diplomat. I organized this event to send support from students to Governor Kim, who is active in China."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.