South Korea's resort island of Jeju has been chosen as the city that will take initiatives to boost cultural exchanges with Japan and China next year, the Culture Ministry said Thursday.

The move is part of an ongoing joint cultural project in which the three Northeast Asian countries each designate a "culture city"

every year to represent them through a variety of festivals and symposiums.

The trilateral project was launched in 2012 after a culture ministers' meeting with the aim to boost cultural exchanges and cooperation among the three nations, through which the region's major players can ease tensions and promote culture. 

"Jeju was chosen as the host for next year's events for its experience of successfully hosting international events and for its nice infrastructure," the ministry said in a release, adding the annual ministerial talks next year will also take place there.

For China, the city of Ningbo was chosen for next year, with Japan picking the city of Nara.

This year, South Korea's central city of Cheongju has hosted a slew of culture-packed events while joining hands with China's Qingdao and Japan's Niigata. (Yonhap)