Economic Delegation from Asahikawa, Sister City of Suwon, Visits Japan

An economic delegation from Asahikawa, Japan, a sister city of Suwon, visited Suwon on the 12th, staying for a one-night, two-day schedule to conduct activities for friendly cooperation and exchange between the two cities, including economic exchange and IT technology collaboration.

Led by Mayor Nishikawa Masahito, the Asahikawa economic delegation will stay in Suwon from the 12th to the 13th, visiting various facilities in Suwon and holding discussions on economic exchange and technology cooperation.

The Asahikawa economic delegation visited the Suwon Environmental Services Division on the morning of the 12th, and Hwaseong and Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in the afternoon. They also visited Homeplus Dong-Suwon and the food section of Galleria Department Store to closely examine the image and sales status of Japanese food products.

On the 13th, they plan to visit Pungmi Food in Omokcheon-dong, Gwonseon-gu to tour major facilities and receive detailed explanations on food processing procedures and hygiene standards, while also having an opportunity to experience Korean culture through activities such as wearing traditional Korean hanbok and making kimchi. They will subsequently visit the Suwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Suwon Mayor Kim Yong-seo met with the economic delegation on the afternoon of the 12th at 4 p.m., presenting plans for sustainable friendly relations between the two cities and urban development through diverse exchanges.

Mayor Kim said, "I hope this visit by the economic delegation will serve as a spark of new vitality and hope for the economies of both cities."

He also stated, "Suwon is a city of cutting-edge industries including IT, BT, and NT, and is home to major and small venture companies including Samsung Electronics," adding "I look forward to the activation of IT sector exchange, which Asahikawa proposed as a commemoration project for the 20th anniversary."

Asahikawa is a city of 360,000 people located in the center of Hokkaido, Japan, with developed lumber, furniture, metal, machinery, food, and tourism industries.

Suwon and Asahikawa, which established sister city relations in 1989, are marking the 20th anniversary of their sisterhood this year and have continued exchange in various fields including economy, technology, and culture. In 2004, to commemorate the 15th anniversary, Suwon agreed to dispatch specialized technical civil servants, while Asahikawa agreed to dispatch an economic delegation for five years each.