A replica of a wooden ship that carried Korean emissaries to Japan hundreds of years ago is about to set sail to Japan for the first time. In the southern South Korean city of Busan, an event has been held to celebrate the voyage.

The wooden replica, which was built in 2018 in South Korea, will leave Busan on Tuesday for Tsushima city in Nagasaki Prefecture, tracing the sea route that the emissaries took in old days.

Envoys representing the Korean Dynasty regularly visited Japan between the 17th and 19th centuries, 12 times during the Edo Era of Japanese history.

Japan's Consul-General in Busan Otsuka Tsuyoshi said that the Korean emissaries are a symbol of a good, long bilateral relationship.

Visitors went on board to see the reconstructed ship. One of them expressed hope that the two countries can move forward together with more exchanges, following the examples of the old time envoys.

After arriving in Japan, the ship will take part in a local festival in Tsushima.