The Korea Foundation invited 14 leading journalists and power bloggers from China to Korea from November 6 to 11, 2017 under its invitation program.

Recommended by the Charhar Institute, a representative think tank in China, the invitees included stars on China’s microblogging website “Weibo” with as many as one million followers, called wanghong or Internet celebrity.

The Chinese delegation also includes journalists and critics of major news media, such as Phoenix Television journalist Jiang Xiaofeng who had an exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2017 and Iraqi President Fuad Masum in 2016, and Japan News founder Zu Jingbo who interviewed Chinese President Xi Jinping, former Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and four former Japanese Prime Ministers.

During their stay in Korea, the Chinese journalists and power bloggers visited National Assemblyman Park Byeong-seug, Chairman of the R.O.K.-China Parliamentarians’ Council, and the R.O.K. Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be briefed on relations between South Korea and China, in an effort to find ways to improve the bilateral relations. They also visited industrial and cultural facilities in Korea to enhance their understanding of Korean economy and culture. In addition, they visited the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Organizing Committee to be briefed on the current status of preparations for the Olympiad. The Chinese journalists and power bloggers paid attention to the organizing committee’s explanation and toured the Olympic facilities carefully as China was also in preparation of the 2022 Winter Olympics.