From February 1 to 4, 2026, Roh Jae-heon, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to China, led a 20-member delegation on a visit to Hainan. The group included officials from the ROK Embassy in Beijing and its Consulate General in Guangzhou, along with representatives from Korean businesses and trade associations.

During the visit, Feng Fei, Secretary of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, and Xie Jing, Vice Governor of Hainan Province, met with Roh and his delegation in Haikou. Feng first expressed appreciation for the continued interest and support of the Embassy in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). He noted that Hainan has long maintained close subnational relations with the ROK.

Following the successful launch of island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan FTP on December 18 last year, new opportunities have emerged for expanding practical cooperation between the two sides. He expressed hope that this meeting would serve as an opportunity for both parties to implement the consensus reached by their respective heads of state and to broaden collaboration in areas such as biopharmaceuticals, medical tourism, and cultural exchanges.

During his stay, Roh visited the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, where he engaged in discussions with representatives from administrative departments and companies to learn more about the FTP’s pharmaceutical and healthcare policies and to explore potential cooperation opportunities. The delegation also toured the Hainan FTP Exhibition Hall and the FTP One-stop Aircraft Maintenance Industrial Base in Haikou, in addition to conducting field visits to the Haikou National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone and the Yangpu International Container Terminal. Furthermore, meetings were arranged with local government officials and industrial park authorities to facilitate the exchange of ideas on future cooperation.

Roh spoke highly of the strides made by Hainan since the launch of island-wide special customs operations, noting that the visit provided more profound insight into the FTP’s policies and their practical implementation. He stated that the ROK hopes to “catch the fast train” of Hainan’s rapid development, promote the opening of more direct air routes, and strengthen cooperation in areas including biopharmaceuticals, healthcare and aesthetic medicine, tourism, and consumption. The Embassy will also step up efforts to brief Korean enterprises and business associations on the FTP’s favorable policies and foster high-level cooperation that benefits the peoples of both sides.

Hainan and the Republic of Korea maintain close exchanges. In 1995, Hainan Province and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province established a sister-province relationship. In 2013, the two sides formed an FTP partnership, and in 2025, Hainan signed a memorandum of understanding on friendly relations with the ROK’s South Chungcheong Province. The Republic of Korea remains one of Hainan’s main sources of inbound tourists, and direct flights are currently available between Hainan and cities including Seoul and Busan.