Jeonbuk Province Holds 25th Anniversary Virtual Meeting Between Governors with Washington State, USA

Promoting Mutual Exchange and Cooperation in Youth, Culture, and Education... Expanding Economic and New Industry Business Exchanges

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] A video conference between the governors of Jeonbuk Province and Washington State, USA, commemorating the 25th anniversary of their friendship and cooperation agreement, was held on the 23rd Korea time.

Song Ha-jin, Governor of Jeonbuk Province, told Washington State Governor Jay Inslee, “The unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 has highlighted the role and capabilities of local governments even more,” and introduced, “Jeonbuk Province pursues a vision of governance where people and nature coexist and continuously develop, and is promoting various practical policies to respond to climate change and achieve carbon neutrality.”

In response, Governor Inslee of Washington State said, “I once again thank Jeonbuk Province for supporting protective gloves and gowns during the early surge of COVID-19 cases when protective supplies were extremely scarce worldwide,” and added, “Cooperation during difficult times proves the strong friendship that has lasted for 25 years.”

Governor Inslee also proposed, “Washington State is a leading region recognized internationally beyond the United States in fields such as eco-friendly energy, electric and hydrogen industries. I hope to expand the foundation of youth, cultural, and educational exchanges built with Jeonbuk over the past 25 years into future cooperation in eco-friendly, climate, and green industries.”

The two governors also discussed holding a Jeonbuk-Washington joint business forum event, focusing on B2B business matching sessions, investment attraction seminars, and one-on-one consulting targeting companies of mutual interest in these high-growth and internationally cooperative fields.

Governor Song said, “It is a pleasure to meet again via video conference about four years after signing the exchange and cooperation agreement with Washington State in 2016,” and added, “Let us continue to promote exchanges and cooperation that bring benefits to regional development and residents.”

Jeonbuk Province and Washington State first established a sister city relationship between Gunsan and Tacoma in 1979, which expanded to a broader level, leading to a friendship agreement on May 17, 1996, and was elevated to a sisterhood agreement with parliamentary approval on June 8, 2004.

Jeonju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.