XIAN, China, June 29 (UPI) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye said she wants to expand economic and cultural ties with China, specifically in the western Chinese province Shaanxi.
Park, on a state trip to Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province, made the comment during a meeting with Chinese provincial governor Zhao Zhengyong, and encouraged South Korean businesses to expand into the region, Yonhap news agency said Saturday.
Park said Xian -- a 3,000-year-old city with a rich history -- remains underdeveloped commercially and provides a good foothold for South Korean businesses seeking to expand into central Asia and Europe.
South Koreans have a special relationship with Xian, where Korean freedom fighters lived while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1940. As part of her visit, Park asked Zhao whether the Chinese government would consider erecting a monument to the Korean fighters in the city.
Zhao said the Chinese government would consider the request.
