Lee Yong-jae (left), speaker of the provincial parliament of South Jeolla Province in South Korea, meets Luo Huining, Party chief of Shanxi province, in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on May 23. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Leading officials from the province of Shanxi in China and a province in South Korea met recently, forging closer ties – and they agreed to build on their already strong relationship, according to officials. 

Luo Huining, Party chief of Shanxi province, met a delegation from South Jeolla Province in South Korea led by Lee Yong-jae, speaker of its provincial parliament, in Taiyuan, in Shanxi province, on May 23.

Ties between the northern Chinese and South Korea provinces have become increasingly close since Shanxi was twinned with South Jeolla Province in 2007, Luo said. 

He gave a presentation about the socio-economic development of Shanxi province and discussed the latest in local new energy industrial development, which the visitors expressed great interest in. 

South Korea's Lee Yong-jae echoed Luo's desire for further cooperation in trade, culture, tourism and in the educational sectors of the two provinces.

The two sides signed a memorandum for friendly communications after the meeting.