Suwon and Turkey's Yalova City Share "Deep Friendship"

[Suwon Ilbo=Hong Seong-gil Reporter] A Suwon delegation visited Yalova City in Turkey on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their sister city relationship, sharing deep friendship between the two cities.

Led by Cho Chung-sik, First Vice Mayor of Suwon, the Suwon delegation visited Yalova, Turkey on a 4-night, 5-day schedule from the 17th to 21st (local time) and participated in the 'City Day' festival, a local celebration in Yalova.

The 'City Day' festival, which features international sister and friendship cities of Yalova, is held annually to commemorate July 19, 1921, marking Yalova's liberation from Greece. Yalova extended a sole invitation to Suwon for this year's event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their sister city relationship.

Suwon dispatched a taekwondo demonstration team consisting of 16 Suwon youth to the event held on the 19th (local time) at Yalova Central Park. The team demonstrated board breaking and kicks to local residents.

Approximately 30 drawings created by students from Seoho Elementary School and Turkey's Sevim Gökeç Middle School on the theme of 'Friendship between Korea and Turkey' were also displayed. Seoho Elementary School is located near the Ankara Academy (orphanage) operated by Turkish military forces during the Korean War. The two schools established a sister school relationship in April of last year.

Cho Chung-sik, First Vice Mayor of Suwon, said at the ceremony: "Our friendship with Yalova City in brother nation Turkey is all the more special. I hope the two cities will grow together based on friendship and solidarity."

On that day, Vice Mayor Cho also discussed ways to promote exchanges between the two cities with Vefa Salman, Mayor of Yalova, at Yalova City Hall.

Mayor Vefa Salman said: "Despite the great distance, Suwon and Yalova have built a special friendship over 20 years. I hope that exchanges between citizens will become even more active in the future."

Vice Mayor Cho responded: "Let us discover common tasks for promoting private exchanges and cooperate to continue sustainable exchanges."

The Suwon delegation visited the Yalova war memorial cemetery on the 20th (local time), toured Suwon Park, and departed for Israel on the 21st. They plan to visit Israel from the 22nd to 25th and then the United Arab Emirates, inspect excellent MICE (international conference and exhibition) industry facilities, and return home on the 26th.

Suwon established a sister city relationship with Yalova in June 1999. When the 1999 Izmit earthquake in Turkey (magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale) struck in August of the same year, Suwon dispatched a medical volunteer team of 22 members, including the head of Paldal-gu Health Center, to Yalova to provide relief efforts.

Over 20 years, the two cities exchanged visits for local events such as the 'Suwon Hwaseong Culture Festival' and 'Yalova City Day,' and conducted more than 20 exchanges, including the construction of the Suwon Restroom in Yalova Waterfront Park (2018), building deep friendship.

Yalova, a name meaning "coastal plain," is a representative resort city in Turkey. It is a city favored by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey's first president, during summer months, and the villa where Atatürk stayed, known as the 'moving house,' still remains.