Mayor Park Seung-won expressed his joy on October 2, stating, "It is meaningful to visit Jecheon, a sister city with which we have maintained a mutual relationship for 18 years, on the 45th anniversary of Gwangmyeong's establishment."
During his visit to Jecheon, Mayor Park discussed ways to enhance ongoing exchanges and mutual development between the two cities.
Building on the 18-year friendship between Gwangmyeong and Jecheon in North Chungcheong Province, the cities aim to expand exchanges and cooperation in areas such as youth programs, local agricultural products, exemplary policies, and regional festivals that citizens can experience directly.
Since signing a sister city agreement in April 2008, the two cities have engaged in exchanges across various fields, including tourism, culture, and industry.
Mayor Park noted that this visit signifies a move beyond mere sister city exchanges, focusing on sharing policies and local resources to expand practical cooperation projects that benefit citizens.
After touring the iconic cultural and tourism resource, Uirimji, Mayor Park met with Jecheon Mayor Lee Sang-cheon at Jecheon City Hall.
During the meeting, Mayor Park shared Gwangmyeong's key policies and successful cases, including carbon neutrality, lifelong learning, and social solidarity economy, and proposed to continuously discover collaborative projects that can connect with Jecheon's natural, historical, and tourism resources.
Mayor Park stated, "I hope we can continue to build on our valuable relationship by sharing the strengths and successful cases of both cities, including Jecheon's natural and historical tourism resources and Gwangmyeong's policies on carbon neutrality, lifelong learning, and social solidarity economy, to discover mutually beneficial cooperation projects that foster growth together."
Mayor Lee responded, "Based on the trust and friendship that our two cities have built over many years, we will work together to further expand our exchanges for mutual development."
On this day, the two cities agreed to resume and expand youth exchanges, facilitate direct transactions and market sharing of local agricultural products, conduct mutual tours of exemplary policies, and participate in each other's major events.
Notably, the focus is on expanding exchanges that allow youth, farmers, local economic stakeholders, and citizens to participate directly, moving beyond administrative-centered interactions, which could develop into a practical model of inter-city cooperation.
They also participated in a campaign to promote hometown love donations.
City employees from both sides joined in mutual donations, enhancing the significance of solidarity and cooperation between the cities.
Mayor Park later attended the opening ceremony of the '2026 Jecheon Herbal Expo' held at Jecheon Herbal Expo Park, delivering a congratulatory message and wishing for the event's successful execution.
He also toured the expo, examining exhibitions and experience programs related to the herbal and natural products industry, directly observing Jecheon's local industry and tourism resources.
Citizens have expressed positive reactions to the practical expansion of exchanges based on the long-standing relationship between the two cities.
They have shown interest in expanding youth exchanges, direct transactions of local agricultural products, and sharing exemplary policies, expressing hope that sister city exchanges will lead to tangible benefits for citizens rather than being limited to ceremonial visits.
One citizen remarked, "It is meaningful that the sister city relationship, which has lasted for 18 years, is evolving beyond mere friendly exchanges into cooperation in youth, local economy, and policy areas."
Meanwhile, Mayor Park plans to continue expanding exchanges with Jecheon based on their long-standing trust, focusing on various fields such as policy, culture, tourism, youth, and local economy, while continuously discovering win-win cooperation projects that citizens can feel.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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