SEOUL, South Korean Trade Minister Chung In-kyo met with the chief of China's northeastern province of Liaoning on Tuesday and discussed ways of boosting bilateral economic cooperation and better supporting South Korean companies operating there, Seoul's industry ministry said. During the meeting with Hao Peng, the province's party secretary, in Seoul, Chung asked for China's efforts for creating "predictable" business circumstances and actively supporting South Korean firms in the province, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Hao said that the South Korean companies have played a major role in its regional economy, vowing extra efforts for supporting their business operations and strengthening bilateral economic relations, the ministry added. Liaoning has the largest provincial economy of Northeast China, and around 5,000 South Korean companies are operating in Liaoning, such as POSCO Holdings Inc., Lotte Chemical Corp., CJ Corp. and Nongshim Co. South Korea is the second-biggest tr ade partner for the province after Japan, with trade between South Korea and the Liaoning province coming to US$9.03 billion in 2023, government data showed. Source: Yonhap News Agency