Gapyeong County and Sokcho City Join Hands for Mutual Development in Border Areas

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] Gapyeong County and Sokcho City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Lee Byeong-seon) held a tea meeting at Sokcho City Hall on the 4th to discuss practical cooperation measures for mutual development of both local governments following their designation as border regions, they announced on the 7th.

Gapyeong County and Sokcho City, newly designated as border regions in March, shared similar regional conditions and policy needs through this meeting and agreed to establish a joint response system and develop practical strategies for mutual development.

At the meeting, the two sides exchanged opinions on various pending issues including △establishing mutual development strategies for border regions △joint response to designation of a peace economic special zone △expanding inter-local government exchanges, and in particular, both sides recognized the necessity of collaboration in administrative, policy, and financial sectors beyond simple exchanges and decided to establish a close coordination system.

During the tea meeting, various cooperation directions were also discussed, including mutual activation of the Hometown Love Donation System, expansion of cultural and tourism exchanges, and promotion of amicable relations between local governments. The two cities and county plan to continue communication and consultation at the working level and strengthen strategic coordination between border regions.

Gapyeong County Mayor Seo Tae-won emphasized, "Through cooperation between border regions, let us overcome limited administrative resources and regional characteristics and jointly seek practical ways to improve residents' quality of life."

Sokcho City Mayor Lee Byeong-seon responded, "Through organic cooperation between local governments, let us jointly address key tasks such as the designation of a peace economic special zone."