Youth Corps of China Visits South Korea for Exchange on Birth Rate Strategies

Ku Yung-kuang, Director of the Youth Corps of China, led the '2026 Cadre Korea Visit Delegation' to Gyeongju, South Korea, from April 8 to 9 for visits and exchanges. In addition to visiting key venues for the 2025 APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting, the delegation also toured representative religious relics, historical sites, and museums in Gyeongju, gaining a deeper understanding of the cultural development of the Silla period in Korea. Ku Yung-kuang shared his exchange experience today through a press release, stating that the Youth Corps and the Korea Youth League have had a friendship for over 40 years. Taiwan and South Korea share many similar circumstances and common issues in their social development processes, and there is much they can learn from each other in terms of policies, youth work, and social development experiences. Ku Yung-kuang pointed out that Taiwan and South Korea are currently in fierce competition in two areas: semiconductors and birth rates. Taiwan leads in semiconductors, while South Korea has recently been surpassed by Taiwan in birth rates. He hopes that this visit and exchange will provide a deeper understanding of South Korea's policies and responses to the issue of low birth rates in recent years, serving as an important reference for future observation and learning. Ku Yung-kuang said that low birth rates not only affect population structure but also impact education, labor force, market development, and overall national competitiveness. Taiwan and South Korea face similar challenges, and more youth and policy-level exchanges, sharing experiences and approaches, will help both sides gain inspiration and further strengthen the foundation for future cooperation between the two countries. Ku Yung-kuang mentioned that after the severance of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, interactions between the younger generations of both sides have shown a decreasing trend compared to the past, leading to a gradual weakening of mutual understanding of each other's history, culture, politics, and social development. In the long run, this is not beneficial for deepening relations between the two countries. In the future, exchanges should be promoted more actively, and the Youth Corps and the Korea Youth League can play a key bridging role in this. Kim Hyun-jip, President of the Korea Youth League, stated in his speech at the dinner on the evening of the 9th that continuous exchanges in recent years and this face-to-face interaction have deepened the understanding of the importance of their cooperation, which not only has significance for organizational exchange but also serves as an important force in promoting friendship between Taiwan and South Korea. He hopes that youth exchanges and mutual visits between the two countries will continue to be vigorously promoted in the future, allowing the younger generation more opportunities to understand each other's history, culture, and society. Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the Youth Corps. Ku Yung-kuang personally invited Kim Hyun-jip to lead a delegation to visit Taiwan and serve as an important guest at the Youth Corps' 75th-anniversary celebration, jointly witnessing the long-standing friendship and cooperation achievements between the two sides. Both sides look forward to continuing to deepen cooperation and expand more youth exchange platforms in the future, allowing the friendship between Taiwan and South Korea to continue, be passed on, and become even stronger among the new generation. (Edited by Li Shu-hua) 1150410