Korea and Israel on Wednesday clinched an agreement to allow their young students to study, work and travel in each other’s country.

Under the working holiday program, up to 200 Koreans aged between 18 and 30 can spend as long as one year studying, interning and traveling in Israel.

Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun and his Israeli counterpart Zeev Elkin signed the pact in Seoul.

For Korea, Israel will be the 17th country with which it has such a program. The other 16 include the U.S., Japan, Australia, the U.K. and France.

“Marking our first working holiday program with a Middle Eastern country, the agreement will play a big role as a stepping stone for Korean youths’ inroads into the region,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)