Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun Meets Pieter van der Fleet, Dutch Ambassador to Korea

Discussion on Cooperation, Mutual Exchange, and Measures between Busan and the Netherlands at City Hall on the 26th at 4 PM

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, met with Peter van der Vliet, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Korea, at 4 p.m. on the 26th in the International Protocol Room of Busan City Hall to discuss mutual exchange and cooperation between Busan and the Netherlands.

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, met with Pieter van der Fleet, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Korea.

Peter van der Vliet was appointed as the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Korea in August.

On this day, prior to meeting Mayor Park Hyung-jun, Ambassador Peter van der Vliet attended the 2023 Shipbuilding and Marine International Conference (Komarine Conference), visited the Netherlands national pavilion, and encouraged representatives of Dutch shipbuilding and marine companies.

Mayor Park first congratulated Ambassador Peter van der Vliet on his appointment to Korea and warmly welcomed him, saying, “Welcome to Busan. I heard that you visited Busan while holding an event linked to the 2023 Busan International Architecture Festival last September.” He added, “I regret not being able to meet you then due to your busy schedule, but I am glad you have visited Busan again today.”

Ambassador Peter van der Vliet, who hosted the ‘Night of Dutch Architecture’ linked to the 2023 Busan International Architecture Festival on September 22, is visiting Busan for the second time.

Following this, Mayor Park said, “At the Busan International Architecture Festival, I spoke with Dutch architect Winy Mass. His philosophy of architecture focused on community activation is important to Busan’s goal of becoming a happy city. We look forward to cooperation in Busan’s urban planning.”

In response, Ambassador Peter van der Vliet said, “Rotterdam was not a beautiful city in the past, but it has become famous as a city with must-visit architectural landmarks due to architecture, marking a new turning point in urban development.” He expressed confidence in the exchange and cooperation between Busan and the Netherlands.

Winy Mass is the head of MVRDV, a world-renowned architectural firm headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and gave a special lecture at the 2023 Busan International Architecture Festival.

Mayor Park said, “The Netherlands is a friendly nation to Korea. Busan expects to enhance friendly exchange and cooperation with the Netherlands in various fields such as Amsterdam, known for its smart city, and Rotterdam, which has an eco-friendly smart logistics port.” He added, “I believe Ambassador Peter van der Vliet’s visit to Busan this time will strengthen cooperation between Busan and the Netherlands.”

Mayor Park also added, “I understand that excellent Dutch shipbuilding and marine companies participated in this Komarine Conference. Cooperation in the marine and shipbuilding sectors is also an indispensable part of exchanges between Busan and the Netherlands.”

In response, Ambassador Peter van der Vliet said, “Although this is my second visit to Busan, I think I will visit often in the future. I am aware that the ports of Rotterdam and Busan have maintained continuous exchanges since becoming sister ports in 1985. Besides that, I believe cooperation is possible in various fields such as smart cities, urban planning, renewable energy, and marine and shipbuilding sectors. If the Mayor visits the Netherlands, it will promote cooperation between Busan and the Netherlands.”

Mayor Park said, “Our city is doing its best to convey Busan’s charm and aspirations to the world by uniting the private sector, government, and businesses until the final moment of the decision to host the 2030 Busan World Expo in November.” He added, “I would like to once again thank the Netherlands for being the first in Western Europe to support Busan’s bid for the 2030 World Expo,” concluding the meeting.

On this day, Ambassador Peter van der Vliet showed the friendship between Busan and the Netherlands by personally creating a support banner for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid during his visit.

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