Suwon and Nonsan to Become Sister Cities

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Nonsan will become Suwon's fourth domestic sister city.

Suwon and Nonsan will sign a 'sister city agreement' at 3 p.m. on the 20th at the conference room of Nonsan City Hall and promise active exchange and cooperation.

The agreement ceremony will be attended by Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young, Nonsan Mayor Hwang Myeong-seon, Suwon City Council Chair Jo Seok-hwan, and Nonsan City Council Chair Gu Bon-seon.

Nonsan becomes Suwon's fourth domestic sister city following Jeju City, Pohang City, and Jeonju City. This is the first sister city agreement for Suwon since 2016 (with Jeonju City), marking the first such agreement in five years.

Suwon and Nonsan promise to exchange and cooperate in various fields including economy, culture, education, and sports, working toward mutual prosperity and development. Plans are also in place to promote human exchanges.

Additionally, government officials and citizens plan to make mutual visits to representative festivals and events of both cities, including the Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival, the 4th Asia-Pacific Environmental Ministers Forum (October, Suwon Convention Center), Nonsan Strawberry Festival, and Gangyeong Salted Fish Festival.

The sister city agreement was initiated when Mayor Yeom Tae-young and Mayor Hwang Myeong-seon met last September to exchange views. Suwon City sent a 'letter of intent regarding domestic sister city agreement' to Nonsan in October, and the sister city arrangement was finalized with the agreement of both cities' city councils.

Suwon and Nonsan are cities with many similarities. Both are abundant in tourism resources including cultural heritage sites listed on UNESCO World Heritage. The civic philosophies of Mayor Yeom Tae-young and Nonsan Mayor Hwang Myeong-seon (people-centered cities) are also similar. Both cities proactively responded to COVID-19 and became models for other local governments, while actively fostering future-leading industries.

Suwon is home to Hwaseong Fortress (Historic Site No. 3), designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, while Nonsan is home to Donam Seowon (Historic Site No. 383), registered as a World Heritage Site in 2019.

When Mayor Yeom Tae-young took office as Suwon Mayor in the 5th popularly elected term in 2010, he pledged to create 'Human City Suwon' and has made continuous efforts over the past 11 years to transform Suwon into a people-centered city.

When Mayor Yeom Tae-young declared 'Government of Citizens' in January 2018, governance was further strengthened, permeating throughout the city administration and now serving as the foundation of all policies pursued by Suwon City.

After taking office as Nonsan Mayor in the 5th popularly elected term in 2010, Mayor Hwang Myeong-seon adopted 'People-First Society' as his civic philosophy and spent 11 years transforming Nonsan into a 'community sharing joys and sorrows' among citizens.

Through continuous communication and cooperation with citizens, he established governance and transformed Nonsan into 'Government of Citizens'.

After confirmed COVID-19 cases emerged in Korea in January last year, Suwon and Nonsan became models for 'K-quarantine' by minimizing community transmission through proactive and systematic responses.

The two cities have maintained friendly cooperative relations over the past several years through policy exchanges, mutual event participation, and inter-organizational exchanges.

Nonsan was elevated from a county to a city in March 1996, with an administrative division of 2 towns, 11 townships, and 2 administrative dongs. The population is approximately 116,000.

Based on abundant tourism resources, Nonsan is emerging as a 'Global Korean Wave Tourism City'. It features the 'Nonsan Eight Scenic Spots' including ▲Gwanch'uk Temple ▲Tapjeong Lake ▲Daedeun Mountain ▲Historic Sites of General Gyebaek ▲Ssanggye Temple ▲Gaetae Temple ▲Oknyo Peak and Geumgang River ▲Noseong Mountain Fortress. The Tapjeong Lake suspension bridge, which is about to open, is expected to become a new tourist attraction. At 570 meters in length, it is the largest suspension bridge in East Asia.

In addition to the 'Nonsan Eight Scenic Spots', popular tourist attractions include 'Sunshine Land', a military camp cultural experience facility, 'Myeongjae Old House', built during the reign of King Sukjong of the Joseon Dynasty, and 'Yangchon Natural Recreation Forest', a leisure space.

Cultural events are also diverse, including Nonsan Strawberry Festival (February), Sangwol Sweet Potato Festival (September), Hwangsan Fortress Battle Reenactment (September), and Gangyeong Salted Fish Festival (October).

An official from Suwon City stated, "Nonsan has many similarities with our city, and if exchange and cooperation take place, the synergy effects will be endless," adding, "We hope the sister city agreement becomes an opportunity for both cities to grow together."