2025.04.24
On April 22, a South Korean delegation led by former Chief Presidential Secretary Lee Byeong-ki visited the Grandview Institution to engage in discussions with its experts on topics including the future development of China–South Korea relations and bilateral trade under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff policies.
Group photo of the South Korean delegation with Chinese experts
The South Korean delegation comprised figures from politics, business, academia, culture, and the media. Notable members included Song Ki-chul, President of the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE); Hong Yong-pyo, former Minister of Unification; Noh Jae-heon, son of former President Roh Tae-woo and President of the East Asia Culture Center; Ko Myung-jin, President of the Korean Youth Organization Association; Yang Jeol-seung, Secretary-General of the same association; Ryu Won-hee, Inspector at Gyeonggi-do Office of Education; Professor Lim Yoon-muk of Yonsei University; Professor Lee Wang-yong of Kangnam University; Professor Lim Hyun-man of Baekseok University; Ko Gyu-dae, senior journalist at Easy Finance; reporter Kang Sang-won from the same outlet; reporter Noh Kyung-min from Joongbu Ilbo; Kim Jong-su, representative of semiconductor company HIMS Group; Ko Dae-hwa, President of KORTOP Group (Culture and Media); Noh Jung-chan, President of BIOSTAR Group (Biopharmaceuticals), and executive Song Sang-hoon; Kim Sang-woo, South Korean representative of SPOTECH Group (Sports); Kim Seung-soo, representative of the Korean arts community; Sohn Soo-ik, President of the Korea Bo-kyo International Exchange Promotion Institute; and Han Won-jung, Beijing representative of KOFICE.
Chinese participants included Zhang Tuosheng, Chief Research Fellow and Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Studies at the Grandview Institution; Ning Fukui, former Chinese Ambassador to South Korea; Ren Libo, President of the Grandview Institution; and He An, Secretary-General of the Grandview Institution.
Ren Libo and Lee Byeong-ki exchange gifts
To enhance collaboration in various fields—such as culture, academia, public diplomacy, and youth exchanges—and to promote shared development, the Grandview Institution signed separate Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange and the Korean Youth Organization Association.
MoU signing ceremony between Grandview Institution, KOFICE, and the Korean Youth Organization Association
The Grandview Institution also appointed Song Ki-chul, President of KOFICE, as a member of its Advisory Committee. Mr. Song is a long-standing advocate and witness to the development of friendly relations between China and South Korea. He has a deep love for Chinese culture and is well-versed in Confucian classics and numerous historical texts. Over the past two decades, he has visited China more than one hundred times, traveling extensively throughout the country and serving as an important bridge for the development of Sino-Korean friendship.
Song Ki-chul appointed as Advisory Committee Member of the Grandview Institution