[Suwon Ilbo=Park Chan-hyuk Reporter] Pyeongtaek City announced on the 2nd that it has made an official visit to Central Asia for five nights and seven days starting August 24, engaging in deep exchanges with the local Koryo-saram community and discussing friendly cooperation plans with Osh City in Kyrgyzstan and Almaty Region and Koneayev City in Kazakhstan.
Pyeongtaek City's visit was carried out to strengthen the city's diplomatic, economic, and cultural capacities in connection with Central Asia, a strategically important region attracting international attention, and to reinforce the identity and sense of belonging of Koryo-saram who reside in large numbers in the region, thereby advancing toward a healthy multicultural city.
First, the city met with the Koryo-saram community including the Association of Descendants of Patriots in Kazakhstan and expressed gratitude for efforts to remember and maintain the roots and identity of the ethnic nation. In particular, during a discussion meeting with descendants of independence activists including Choe Jae-hyung and Lee Dong-hwi, the city honored the noble spirit of the patriots, empathized with the difficulties faced by the descendant generation, and explored support measures.
Mayor Jeong Jang-seon plans to convey the difficulties raised at the discussion meeting with the Association of Descendants of Patriots to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.
Exchanges between the local Koryo-saram community and the Pyeongtaek private sector also followed. The Pyeongtaek City Social Welfare Council discussed welfare improvement measures with the local Association of Descendants of Patriots, and the Pyeongtaek Culture Center agreed with the Almaty Korean Culture Center to activate cultural exchanges through continuous communication.
Additionally, through this visit, the city also established a framework for friendly cooperation between cities. On the 25th, discussions were held with Osh City in Kyrgyzstan on exchanges in culture and economy in general, and on the 29th, the city discussed friendly exchange plans for mutual development with Almaty Region and Koneayev City in Kazakhstan.
This exchange is in the initial stage of expressing mutual cooperation intentions, with plans to proceed with the signing of a formal friendly exchange agreement after going through the city council's approval process. Once formal friendly exchanges are established with these cities, the plan is to build a cooperation platform and promote not only administrative but also private sector exchanges.
Mayor Jeong Jang-seon stated, “I confirmed that Koryo-saram living in Central Asia are striving hard to preserve their ethnic identity and remember their roots,” and added, “Going forward, I will continue to exchange with the Koryo-saram community, boost the pride of local Koryo-saram, and work so that Koryo-saram residing in Pyeongtaek can feel greater sense of belonging within the community.”
Mayor Jeong further stated, “I will continue to exchange with major cities in Central Asia and strive to create new opportunities in various fields such as economy, industry, and culture.”
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