Yangpyeong County Establishes Exchange Cooperation with Schœuv, France

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Yangpyeong County announced on October 1st that it has pledged to continue multi-faceted exchange projects with Schœuv, France under the slogan "Remember History Together, Dream of the Future Together" for mutual development and prosperity.

Schœuv, France is the city where Patriot Hong Jae-ha first settled after traveling through Russia for post-World War I reconstruction projects. Since Hong Jae-ha's registered residence is in Yangpyeong County, County Governor Jeon Jin-seon established ties between the two cities when participating in the repatriation ceremony for patriots Lee Han-ho and Hong Jae-ha held at Incheon Airport in November 2022.

In May 2023, the county discussed exchange with Schœuv through Kim Hyung-jin, Senior Special Advisor at the French Office of the Association of Korean Provinces and Cities. In April 2024, the county delivered a proposal for friendly exchange to Schœuv, enabling exchange cooperation between the two cities to be realized.

Schœuv, France is located approximately two hours from Paris and is a commune with a population of about 4,000 residents.

As a site of fierce fighting in World War I bearing the scars of war, Schœuv has been home to large-scale military units since World War II.

Yangpyeong County is also a strategic military location with one division currently stationed there. Based on these commonalities, the county commemorates the Battle of Jipaeri, where French battalions fought to withstand a concentrated attack by approximately 50,000 Chinese forces, and has decided to expand exchange with Schœuv, prioritizing "preservation and remembrance of history" as core values.

Additionally, the two cities plan to conduct cultural and artistic exchange centered on history and operate history education programs on war history to promote student exchange.

Mayor François Collard stated, "I would like to thank the Yangpyeong County officials for their warm hospitality, and the stories my grandfather told me about Korean people who participated in reconstruction projects during World War I have remained vivid in my memory," adding "I have great interest in Korea, and I am very pleased to have the opportunity to exchange with Yangpyeong County on the theme of history. I hope that deeper cooperation between Schœuv and Yangpyeong County will lead to extensive exchange in the future."

County Governor Jeon Jin-seon responded, "I believe the two cities, which pride themselves on the pain and history of war and rich green spaces, can have deep exchange based on shared values." He continued, "I hope that as the exchange matures, students will learn about the war history of the two cities and through student exchange programs visit each other's countries, so that the connection will continue to the next generation."