Kang Bing (middle), deputy editor chief of China Daily, Zhang Yongxia (right), mayor of Yantai, and Park Junghwan (left) of Business Korea Magazine, exchanged opinions at a meeting held in Yantai on Saturday.  [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Cashing in on the China-South Korea free trade agreement (FTA) officially signed on June 1, 2015, Yantai's city development has seen great changes during the past one year, said Zhang Yongxia, mayor of the city.

"South Korea has become Yantai's largest foreign trade partner," Zhang told a group of photographers and journalists from South Korean media outlets in the city on Saturday.

Statistics from the commerce bureau of Yantai show that in the first five months of this year, contractual investment from ROK reached $160 million, a year-on-year growth of 65 percent.

South Korean signs are visible everywhere such as on the city's traffic boards and officials' business cards.

Zhang said Yantai will focus on building the city into the best investment destination for South Korean enterprises and the largest distribution base for South Korean products.

Since Thursday, photographers and journalists from 12 South Korean media organizations were on a group tour of Yantai, which wrapped up today.

The visit, sponsored by China Daily, the publicity department of Yantai municipal party committee and the commerce bureau of Yantai government, seeks to enhance Yantai's popularity in ROK by presenting the city's technological, cultural, tourism and environmental development.

Li Ming, executive deputy director of Yantai publicity department, said the tour provided an excellent opportunity to promote the latest achievements of Yantai to people at home and abroad, especially developments made after the signing of the China-South Korea Free Trade Agreement in June last year.

"Yantai has witnessed tremendous changes," said Park Saeyoung, a journalist from South Korea's Munhwa IIbo. She lived in Yantai for two years 13 years ago and was impressed by the progress the city has made.

Park said that a great many high-end hospitals and enterprises from ROK have built facilities in Yantai, an evidence of Yantai's clean and comfortable living environment and favorable investment conditions.

"With the China-South Korea Yantai Industrial Park, enterprises from ROK and Yantai have more opportunities to get achieve more development," said Yu Dong, head of Yantai commerce bureau.