The culture ministers of Japan, China and South Korea met in the ancient South Korean city of Gwangju and have designated one East Asia City of Culture in each country for the year 2014.

Culture minister Hakubun Shimomura nominated Yokohama, a historic port city known for international exchanges, while China’s envoy chose Quanzhou, an ancient trading port in southern Fujian province, and South Korea’s representative selected Gwangju, for its more than 2,000-year history.

The three cities will serve as the principal venues for a series of cultural and arts exchange programs to be organized next year to promote mutual understanding among the three neighbors.

The three countries also agreed at the meeting in Gwangju to hold the next trilateral meeting of cultural ministers next year in Japan. As host nation, Japan will additionally put on an arts and culture festival featuring events and performances from the three countries.

The three sides will designate new East Asia Cities of Culture from 2015.

Read full article in The Japan Times

Image: Japan's culture minister Hakubun Shimomura (left) and his South Korean and Chinese counterparts, Yoo Jin-ryong (center) and Cai Wu, pose for a group photo after their trilateral meeting in Gwangju, South Korea, on Saturday. The three sides designated one city in each country as an East Asia City of Culture to further exchanges and mutual understanding next year. | KYODO