Gumi-si, Unstoppable Sprint Toward Becoming an International Hub City

Sister and Friendly City Agreement Signing and Active Local Diplomacy Forming a Global Network

Vietnam's Bac Ninh Mayor and Other Foreign Dignitaries from 5 Countries Recently Visited, Requests for Exchanges Continue

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk is taking vigorous steps to establish itself as a global city by actively continuing local diplomacy based on its 15 sister and friendship cities across 11 countries.

◆ Formation of a Global Network Based on International Sister and Friendship Cities

▲ Expanding the scope of international cooperation through new friendship city agreements with cities in Vietnam, Germany, and France

In October 2022, marking the 30th anniversary of Korea-Vietnam diplomatic relations, the city signed a friendship city agreement with Bac Ninh, a representative industrial city in Vietnam, and strengthened practical exchanges and cooperation in economic and industrial fields through dispatching trade delegations and holding economic exchange meetings.

Gumi-Bac Ninh Meeting.

In July this year, through the visit of Nguyen Song Ha, Mayor of Bac Ninh, and a cooperation meeting, both sides once again pledged to build a partnership for future mutual development through multidimensional exchanges in economy, humanities, culture, and tourism.

In the first half of this year, Gumi expanded the scope of international cooperation by establishing friendship ties with Wolfsburg, a representative industrial city in Germany where Volkswagen’s headquarters and main production plants are located, and Grenoble Alpes Metropole in France, known as the Silicon Valley of Europe. This created a global cooperation platform based on collaboration in various future industries and opened a gateway to the European market.

▲ Accelerating exchange and cooperation with existing sister and friendship cities

In November last year, the city visited Otsu City in Japan and held in-depth discussions on citizen exchanges and international cooperation measures. In April this year, Gumi signed a cooperation agreement with Bishkek City in the Kyrgyz Republic aimed at mutual prosperity, and elevated the ‘Gumi Park,’ created to commemorate the friendship between the two cities, to the status of the Korea-Kyrgyz Friendship Park.

Naming Ceremony of the Korea-Ki Friendship Park.

Additionally, Gumi is actively promoting exchanges with sister and friendship cities by participating in the World Hakka Expo hosted by Taoyuan City in Taiwan, organizing the 25th anniversary event of the sister city relationship with Changsha City in China, and dispatching a Gumi performance troupe to Bac Ninh City in Vietnam. These efforts present a successful model of a local government establishing itself as a key player on the international stage.

◆ Continuous requests for visits and exchanges as a representative economic and industrial city of South Korea

Since the resumption of face-to-face activities following the COVID-19 pandemic, dignitaries from Asia, Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world have been visiting Gumi one after another. Each delegation visits industrial sites such as Samsung Electronics and the birthplace of President Park Chung-hee to observe Gumi’s development and seek practical ways to coexist through expanded exchange and cooperation amid the rapidly changing global industrial environment.

The city plans to lay the groundwork to grow as a central city behind the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated Airport, scheduled to open in 2030, and to attract a semiconductor-specialized complex selected as a national advanced strategic project in July. This will enable Gumi to advance beyond South Korea to become a hub on the international industrial stage. As global interest increases, more opportunities for global exchange and cooperation are expected.

◆ Creating opportunities for proactive responses to rapidly changing international affairs through revitalized local diplomacy

Mayor Kim Jang-ho said, “Since taking office, we have signed new friendship agreements with cities that have great potential for mutual development and are promoting various exchanges. As part of this, we plan to invite guests from overseas sister and friendship cities to our local festivals held in the second half of this year to create a festive atmosphere where everyone can enjoy together.” He added, “Each of these efforts will contribute to revitalizing the local economy, and we expect that Gumi City will soon stand tall as an international central city.”

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