TEHRAN – Official figures compiled by South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MSCT) put the number of incoming tourists to Iran at over 5,000 annually, the visiting MSCT vice minister, Chung Kwan-Joo, said here on Monday.

The official made the comments during his meeting with the deputy director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization, Morteza Rahmani-Movahhed, ISNA reported on Monday.

The two sides explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating cultural and tourism relations.

In comments made prior to his journey to Iran, Kwan-Joo had said “I am eager to see with my own eyes the cradle of human culture and meet the Iranian people who deserve to be praised for their contribution to the humanity achievements, be it literature, philosophy, art, architecture, and many others. And I am also delighted to introduce many aspects of Korean culture to Iranian friends during my stay in Tehran.”

In mid-July, Tehran and Seoul signed a memorandum of understanding to further broaden their mutual cooperation in trade and economic fields.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of South Korea conference in Seoul.

As the picture above shows, Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization Deputy Director Morteza Rahmani-Movahhed (L) and South Korean Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chung Kwan-Joo pose for a photo during their meeting in Tehran on October 3, 2016.

AFM/MG