Korea, Japan seek new chapter in 40 years of tourism ties

Korea and Japan are holding the 40th Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Council and Korea-Japan Tourism Business Forum in Mokpo on Wednesday and Thursday to deepen tourism cooperation. About 100 government, tourism and aviation officials are attending the meetings at Hotel Hyundai by Lahan Mokpo. The two sides are discussing ways to expand travel between the countries and attract visitors from outside the region. They also plan to sign an agreement expressing intent to pursue a memorandum of cooperation on tourism.

The council was established in 1986 and has alternated between Korea and Japan, with one postponement in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kang Jeong-won of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Ken Sasaji of the Japan Tourism Agency are leading the delegations.

The business forum will focus on attracting international visitors, revitalizing regional tourism and expanding travel between Korea and Japan.

Representatives from airlines, travel companies and academia are discussing joint tourism products linking destinations in both countries.

Published Sep 9, 2026 1:44 pm KST

Mokpo Port in Mokpo, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City / Korea Times file

Korea and Japan are marking four decades of tourism cooperation this week with talks in Mokpo aimed at turning a long record of exchanges into deeper regional partnerships.

The 40th Korea-Japan Tourism Promotion Council and Korea-Japan Tourism Business Forum are being held Wednesday and Thursday at Hotel Hyundai by Lahan Mokpo, bringing together about 100 government, tourism and aviation officials from both countries.

Kang Jeong-won, head of tourism policy at Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ken Sasaji, director-general of international tourism at the Japan Tourism Agency, are leading their respective delegations.

The officials are discussing ways to expand tourism between Korea and Japan while working together to attract travelers from outside the region.

The two sides also plan to sign an agreement expressing their intent to pursue a memorandum of cooperation on tourism, seeking a more stable institutional foundation for future collaboration.

The business forum will focus on attracting international visitors, revitalizing regional tourism and expanding travel between Korea and Japan, with representatives from airlines, travel companies and academia discussing joint tourism products linking destinations in both countries.

Korea and Japan are both close neighbors and partners in attracting visitors from beyond Asia, adding that future cooperation should extend tourism exchanges into local communities, the organizations said.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

韩国和日本于周三和周四在木浦举行第40届韩日旅游促进会暨韩日旅游商务论坛，旨在深化两国旅游合作。约100名来自政府、旅游和航空领域的官员出席了在木浦罗汉现代酒店举行的会议。双方将探讨如何拓展两国间的旅游资源，并吸引更多来自其他地区的游客。他们还计划签署一份协议，表达双方就旅游合作事宜开展合作的意愿。

该理事会成立于 1986 年，由韩国和日本轮流担任理事国，2020 年因 COVID-19 疫情而推迟了一次。

韩国文化体育观光部的姜正元和日本观光厅的笹治健率领代表团出访。

此次商务论坛将重点关注吸引国际游客、振兴区域旅游业以及扩大韩国和日本之间的旅游。

航空公司、旅行社和学术界的代表正在讨论将两国旅游目的地联系起来的联合旅游产品。

发布于2026年9月9日下午1:44（韩国标准时间）

全南光州特别广域市木浦港 / 韩国时报档案

本周，韩国和日本在木浦举行会谈，庆祝两国在旅游领域合作四十周年，旨在将长期的交流转化为更深层次的区域伙伴关系。

第40届韩日旅游振兴会暨韩日旅游商务论坛于周三和周四在木浦罗汉现代酒店举行，两国约100名政府、旅游和航空官员齐聚一堂。

韩国文化体育观光部旅游政策负责人姜正元和日本观光厅国际旅游局局长笹治健分别率领各自的代表团。

两国官员正在探讨如何扩大韩国和日本之间的旅游业，同时共同努力吸引来自该地区以外的游客。

双方还计划签署一项协议，表达他们寻求在旅游领域开展合作的意愿，为未来的合作建立更稳定的制度基础。

本次商业论坛将重点关注吸引国际游客、振兴区域旅游业以及扩大韩国和日本之间的旅游，航空公司、旅行社和学术界的代表将讨论连接两国目的地的联合旅游产品。

韩国和日本既是近邻，也是吸引亚洲以外游客的合作伙伴，这两个组织表示，未来的合作应该将旅游交流扩展到当地社区。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。