Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo: "Expanding Practical Exchanges Through Deep Friendship"

Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon, and Economic Delegation Visit Sapporo
Since 2010, Sister City Exchanges Through Festivals
"Promoting Expansion of Exchanges in Culture, Education, Sports, and Economy"
"Opening Cheongju-Sapporo Air Route to Enhance Travel Convenience"

"Good friends deepen their friendship the longer they remain friends. Since we have become friends, I hope we can become true friends with a deeper friendship." These were the words left by Mayor Lee Jang-woo of Daejeon during his meeting with Mayor Akimoto Katsuhiro of Sapporo City Hall in Japan on the 3rd.

Mayor Lee led an economic delegation to visit Sapporo, Japan, from the 2nd to the 5th. Since Daejeon and Sapporo became sister cities in 2010, they have continued mutual exchanges centered around each city's festivals every year. Daejeon participates in the 'Sapporo Snow Festival,' while Sapporo takes part in the 'Daejeon 0시 Festival' to strengthen their friendship.

Daejeong Lee, Mayor of Daejeon, is discussing with the economic delegation on the 4th at the Sapporo Snow Festival site about benchmarking elements of the snow festival event for the 'Daejeon 0 o'clock Festival.' Provided by Daejeon City

This year’s visit by Mayor Lee and the economic delegation to Sapporo was also part of this ongoing relationship. In particular, during the visit, Mayor Lee observed the local Snow Festival and explored ways to benchmark the Snow Festival’s operation methods for the Daejeon 0시 Festival. The key point was to focus on how the Snow Festival, which is based on citizen participation and involves companies and international snow sculptors, expands the scale of the festival, and to set a direction for incorporating these elements.

Mayor Lee said, "I looked into the background and driving forces that made the Sapporo Snow Festival one of the world’s top three festivals, and considered ways for the Daejeon 0시 Festival to grow similarly." He added, "Finding elements in the Snow Festival that can add fun and meaning and applying them to the Daejeon 0시 Festival for its development was also an important purpose of this visit."

He continued, "While it is fundamentally important for festivals to attract large crowds, they must also invigorate local alleyway businesses and ultimately bring positive effects (consumption) to the local economy." He emphasized, "We will strive to ensure that this year’s Daejeon 0시 Festival successfully addresses these challenges and becomes a safe and enjoyable festival."

Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon (right), met with Katsuhiro Akimoto, Mayor of Sapporo, on the 2nd and presented an invitation to the "Daejeon 0 o'clock Festival" to be held in August this year. Photo by Daejeon City

Mayor Lee also plans to promote expanding the areas of exchange with Sapporo City. The purpose of expanding the exchange areas is to move beyond the nominal sister city title and pursue practical mutual exchanges between the two cities.

For example, during this visit, Mayor Lee proposed to Mayor Akimoto of Sapporo a friendly exchange match between local sports teams such as baseball, soccer, and volleyball. Mayor Akimoto responded positively, laying the groundwork for future sports exchanges between the two cities. Furthermore, Mayor Lee envisions expanding exchanges in culture, education, sports, and economy to foster mutual development opportunities within a strong friendship.

Mayor Lee Jang-woo of Daejeon and the economic delegation are taking a commemorative photo after meeting with Mayor Akimoto Katsuhiro of Sapporo on the 2nd. (From left) Cho Woong-rae, Chairman of Mackiss Company; Shin Shin-ja, CEO of Jangchung-dong Wang Jokbal; Akimoto Katsuhiro, Mayor of Sapporo; Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon; Jung Tae-hee, Chairman of Daejeon Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Hwang In-gyu, CEO of CNCITY Energy; Lee Seung-chan, Chairman of Gyeryong Construction. Provided by Daejeon City

During his visit to Sapporo, Mayor Lee also expressed his intention to the government to establish a 'direct flight route' between Cheongju Airport and Sapporo, aiming to make the route a reality. This is to improve travel convenience between the two cities and broaden opportunities for citizens to interact.

He emphasized that establishing a direct flight route would not only benefit the two cities but also help activate private exchanges between South Korea and Japan. Considering the Korean Wave leading to an influx of domestic tourists, it is necessary to diversify flight routes, which are currently concentrated in the metropolitan area (such as Incheon), to also diversify regions attracting foreign tourists.

Mayor Lee said, "Since exchanges and friendly relations between South Korea and Japan are important, detailed friendly cooperation through exchanges between cities in both countries is also crucial." He added, "If a direct air route between Cheongju Airport and Sapporo is established, it will serve as an opportunity to deepen friendly cooperation between the Chungcheong region and Sapporo, and further between the two countries."

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