Taipei, Nov. 23 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Tuesday that after more than a year of negotiations, Taiwan and South Korea have signed an agreement to set up reciprocal youth working holiday programs.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Benjamin Liang, Taiwan's representative to South Korea, and Yang Keun-koo, representative of the Korean Mission in Taipei, Tuesday morning in Taipei, MOFA spokesman James Chang said.
South Korea joined five other countries -- Japan, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada -- in signing such an agreement with Taiwan.
Under the MOU, which took effect immediately, multiple entry visas will be issued for people aged 18-35 from Taiwan and South Korea who wish to travel and work in each other's territory for up to one year, he said.
Both sides will start accepting applications from Jan. 1, 2011, according to Chang, but the quotas that will apply remain to be discussed.
The announcement came amid an upswing in anti-Korea sentiment in Taiwan after a Taiwanese taekwondo athlete was disqualified from the Asian Games Nov. 17 by a technical committee official of Korean descent.
The anger was further fueled after the South Korean secretary-general of the World Taekwondo Federation accused Yang of cheating.
Speaking on Monday night before the deal was officially signed, Chang said that launching working holiday programs with different countries has always been a major goal of the foreign ministry to help more Taiwanese young people gain a wider global perspective.
Chang said Taiwan and South Korea have enjoyed a close relationship in recent years in various realms such as cultural exchanges, tourism, trade and investment.
"We hope that through such programs, the young people of both countries will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other's culture and heritage, " Chang said.
There was mixed reaction to the agreement before it became official Tuesday morning among those who have contemplated participating in a working holiday program.
Ian Chen, 26, said he would not be interested in going to South Korea because most of his friends who have traveled there for vacation, work or study have had negative experiences.
"My friends described people there as narrow-minded and unwelcoming to anyone who is not Korean, " he said, saying he would choose either Japan or Germany as his destination.
Chen stressed that his lack of interest in South Korea had nothing to do with the ongoing taekwondo controversy.
But 25-year-old social worker Edward Chien said he would not rule out South Korea as a destination for a working holiday because every country has something unique to offer.
The government has repeatedly urged supporters of the Taiwanese taekwondo athlete to remain calm and rational and vowed to file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on behalf of the accused athlete.
Taiwan and South Korea severed diplomatic relations in 1993. In 2003, the two countries agreed on waving visa requirements for each other's citizens.
Earlier this month on Nov. 12, South Korea signed a working holiday program MOU with Hong Kong. According to Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Hong Kong was the 10th region to reach this agreement with Korea. In 2009, approximately 53,000 Korean youths participated in the program. (By Jenny Hsu and Chris Wang) ENDITEM/ls