Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk, to Launch 'Gyeongbuk-style Local Government Diplomacy' in Three Asian Countries

Mutual Cooperation Agreement with Uttar Pradesh, India, Attracting International Students and Workforce

Meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Special Lecture on 'Saemaul Undong'

Playing a Key Role in Sparking K-Tourism and Food Craze in Ma

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, has launched 'local government diplomacy' targeting three Asian countries.

Starting from the 21st to the 30th, Governor Lee announced that he will visit India, the world's most populous country with 1.43 billion people, followed by Sri Lanka and Malaysia, to carry out 'Gyeongbuk-style' local diplomacy.

First, Governor Lee will meet with Yogi Adityanath, the governor of Uttar Pradesh (UP), the fastest-growing state among India's 28 states, to discuss mutual cooperation plans.

He will visit three universities?Delhi University, Nehru University, and Subarti University?to give special lectures and hold briefings to attract international students and talented personnel. Governor Lee has advocated attracting excellent foreign talent as a measure to address the crisis faced by local universities and industries due to population decline.

Additionally, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Korea-India diplomatic relations, a joint Gyeongbuk-India performance will be held together with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province.

Regarding growth solutions for Sri Lanka, which is experiencing an economic crisis, Governor Lee will hold talks with the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Parliament, and give special lectures to senior officials. He plans to promote the view that the Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement) was a key driver of South Korea's economic growth.

He will also visit Walpola Saemaul, a model village in rural Sri Lanka transformed by the Saemaul Undong. Currently, Gyeongbuk Province operates Saemaul model villages in eight countries, including Sri Lanka.

In Malaysia, one of the world's top tourist destinations, Governor Lee plans to visit Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu to play a role in igniting the Gyeongbuk-style K-tourism and K-food craze.

In Kuala Lumpur, he will invite about 100 local travel agency representatives to introduce Gyeongbuk's tourism resources and sign a tourism exchange agreement with the Malaysian Association of Travel Agents.

Invited by Sabah State Governor Hajiji, he will visit Kota Kinabalu to discuss tourism, investment, and seasonal labor issues with Sabah, which has relatively affordable land and labor.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo emphasized, “We will seek ways to attract excellent human resources from Asia to local universities and companies facing crises due to population decline,” and added, “This will be a great opportunity to promote Gyeongbuk-style K-tourism to the increasing number of overseas tourists after the COVID-19 endemic.”

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