Taiwan and South Korea are moving to deepen local ties, a modest but positive step for trade, tourism and cultural links between the two.

• South Korea's new representative in Taipei, Hwang Jae-ho, met Tainan mayor Huang Wei-che to discuss culture, tourism, farm goods and sports.
• Tainan wants more student visits, sports exchanges and tourism, building on a 50-year sister-city tie with Gwangju and newer links with Gyeongju and Pyeongtaek.
• The farm angle is the practical one: both sides want easier inspection rules so more Tainan produce reaches Korea and Korean fruit reaches Taiwan.
• Tainan is pitching itself on semiconductors, food and history, and Korea floated film and TV co-production to pull tourists both ways.
• Hwang, who studied and worked as a visiting scholar in Taiwan, took up the post in July and has visited Tainan privately several times.

Outlook: Expect more agricultural and quarantine talks, plus film and tourism tie-ups, as the new representative settles into the job.