Kim Dong-yeon Meets Canadian Prime Minister, Says "Canada and Gyeonggi Province Are Not Simply Friends"

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced that he met with the Prime Minister of Canada to discuss economic cooperation measures between Canada and Gyeonggi Province.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon shared this news through SNS on the 18th, saying "Borrowing the Prime Minister's expression, Canada and Gyeonggi Province will not be simple friends but 'The Best of Friends.'"

The following is the full text of Governor Kim Dong-yeon's SNS post.

< Not Simply Friends, but 'The Best of Friends' >

I met with Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

It has been six years since we met at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany in the summer of 2017. At that summit meeting held at Canada's request, I discussed with the Prime Minister economic cooperation measures between the two countries as Vice President of Economics.

Today, as Governor of Gyeonggi Province, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Canada and the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War, I stood alongside Prime Minister Trudeau in front of the Gapyeong Canadian War Memorial in Gyeonggi Province.

Canada is the country that dispatched the largest military force relative to its population among UN forces during the Korean War.

In particular, the battle that took place in the Gapyeong area from April 23 to 25, 1951, is regarded as the greatest military achievement in Canadian military history. Approximately 450 soldiers repelled around 6,000 Chinese troops, preventing their advance on Seoul and becoming a turning point that changed the tide of the Korean War.

Canada holds a commemorative ceremony annually, and has created a Gapyeong Battle Victory Monument, Gapyeong Park, and Gapyeong Stone in Canada, not only remembering the Battle of Gapyeong but also naming streets such as Gapyeong Avenue and Gapyeong Road throughout the country.

After paying respects and observing a moment of silence for the young souls who sacrificed in the Korean War, I had various conversations with the Prime Minister. We discussed his speech to the National Assembly yesterday and measures to promote economic cooperation between Canada and Gyeonggi Province.

Following the Prime Minister, I will meet with David Eby, Governor of British Columbia, Canada's sister province to Gyeonggi Province, on May 31st. We will expand people-to-people exchanges and energy cooperation, and further solidify our partnership as an 'innovation alliance.'

Borrowing the Prime Minister's expression, Canada and Gyeonggi Province will not be simple friends but 'The Best of Friends.'