A South Korean youth delegation will travel to China this week as part of a bilateral exchange program that resumed after a five-year hiatus, driven by the coronavirus outbreak, officials said Monday. About 50 delegates plan to visit Beijing and China's northwestern region of Qinghai on a six-day trip, beginning Monday, during which they will participate in various cultural exchange programs and visit related venues, the foreign ministry said. "South Korea and China have been close neighbors and very important partners to each other since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1992," First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun said in a launch ceremony hosted by the ministry. "The government considers the South Korea-China relations to be important and intends to develop them into a more mature and healthy relationship based on mutual respect, reciprocity and shared interests," Kim said. The youth exchange program, co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friend ship with Foreign Countries, last took place in 2019 and had been put on hold in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. South Korea and China agreed to restart the program when President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang held talks on the sidelines of the trilateral summit involving Japan in May this year. South Korea plans to host a Chinese delegation for the youth program next year. Source: Yonhap News Agency