Seoul Metropolitan Council Chairman Kim Hyun-ki Meets Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Speaker After 6 Years to Discuss 'Strengthening Cooperation'

Seoul Metropolitan Council Delegation Visits Tokyo and Kyoto from 17th to 21st upon Official Invitation by Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly; Meets New Tokyo Assembly Chair Satoshi Udagawa to Discuss Exchange and Cooperation... First Meeting in 6 Years since 2017... Benchmarks Excellent Policies Including Azabudai Hills Urban Redevelopment, Kandagawa Large-Scale Stormwater Storage, Musashino City Clean Center Waste Incineration Facility, and Cultural Heritage Management for Tourist Attraction

Kim Hyun-gi, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, will meet with Satoshi Udagawa, the newly appointed Chairperson of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, on the 17th to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation. This is the first official meeting in six years since 2017.

The Seoul Metropolitan Council announced that it will visit Tokyo and Kyoto for a 4-night, 5-day trip from October 17 to 21.

This visit was made upon the official invitation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly to pay a courtesy visit to the newly elected Chairperson of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly (elected on October 5, 2023) and to promote exchange and friendship.

On October 5, Satoshi Udagawa was newly elected as Chairperson of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, along with Hiroki Masuko as Vice Chairperson.

Chairperson Kim Hyun-gi said, “With the Korea-Japan summit held this year, a fresh breeze is blowing through the previously subdued city diplomacy. In particular, Seoul and Tokyo, as the capitals of their respective countries, share many common challenges such as low birth rates, aging populations, housing, redevelopment, and the environment. We expect to create synergy through active exchange and cooperation.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Council delegation plans to inspect excellent policy sites recommended by the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, including Azabudai Hills, Kandagawa Deep Storage Reservoir, Musashino City Clean Center, and Tsukiji Market.

Azabudai Hills, scheduled to open in November, is attracting attention for transforming the aging Tokyo city center into a high-rise advanced complex. It is especially praised for creating a large-scale green space of 24,000 square meters in the city center, presenting a new model for urban redevelopment.

The Kandagawa Deep Storage Reservoir is a massive rainwater tunnel located 43 meters underground, with a diameter of 12.5 meters and a length of 4.5 kilometers. It can store 540,000 tons of water at once and plays a significant role in flood prevention in Tokyo.

The Musashino City Clean Center is a waste treatment facility located in the city center. By placing the waste processing facility underground, it minimizes odors and noise, and its exterior design uses wood to evoke a forest, harmonizing with the surroundings. Notably, it operates a restaurant called “Gomi Pit Bar,” where visitors can enjoy meals while watching large cranes move waste to the incinerators, blending environmental efforts with tourism.

Tsukiji Market, known as “Tokyo’s kitchen,” is similar to Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Market. After operating from 1935 to 2018, the wholesale market moved to Toyosu Market in Koto Ward, and currently, the outer market (retail) is still in operation.

In Kyoto, the delegation plans to inspect cultural heritage management and historic sites of the thousand-year-old city and review the status of the cultural tourism industry. Japan has relocated its Agency for Cultural Affairs from Tokyo to Kyoto between March and May to maintain and inherit Kyoto’s tangible and intangible cultural assets.

This visit aims for the Seoul Metropolitan Council to benchmark advanced cases in Tokyo regarding major policy issues ahead of this year’s administrative audit and the 2024 budget review, and to reflect these insights in policy implementation.

Currently, Seoul faces major issues such as urban redevelopment projects including Sewoon Sangga, Yongsan International Business District and Sampyo Remicon site development, construction of a deep underground rainwater tunnel near Gangnam Station, establishment of a waste incineration plant in Mapo, safety management of seafood markets following the release of contaminated water from Fukushima, and the goal of attracting 30 million tourists.

Chairperson Kim Hyun-gi said, “While Seoul has been stagnant over the past decade, Tokyo has been undergoing simultaneous large-scale redevelopment projects, with its skyline changing every year. Through this inspection, I will consider whether there are aspects that can be applied to Seoul and ensure they are actively reflected in next year’s budget review.”

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