Yongin City Establishes Sister City Relationship with Fairfax County, Virginia, USA

During Mayor Lee Sang-il's Visit to the U.S., Second Sister City Agreement Signed After Williamson County
"Focusing on Semiconductors and Advanced Industries... Expanding Exchanges in Business, Academia, and Culture"

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province has established a sister city relationship with Fairfax County, Virginia, USA.

On the 14th, Yongin City announced that Mayor Lee Sang-il and the Yongin delegation, who were visiting the United States to attend CES 2025 and promote international exchanges, signed a friendship agreement between the two cities on the 13th (local time) at the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority with Chairman Jeffrey McKay of Fairfax County.

Lee Sang-il (left), Mayor of Yongin, and Jeffrey McKay, Chairman of Fairfax County, Virginia, USA, are holding up the agreement at the friendship exchange signing ceremony between the two cities. Photo by Yongin City

With this agreement, Fairfax County became the second county-level city in the United States to establish an exchange agreement with Yongin. Previously, in September last year, Yongin City Hall signed a sister city agreement with Williamson County, Texas, and on the 9th of this month, Mayor Lee visited the U.S. and held a sister city ceremony locally.

In October last year, a delegation from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority visited Yongin City, meeting with Mayor Lee and local businesspeople to seek ways to enhance exchanges.

At the friendship agreement signing ceremony, the Yongin delegation consisted of Mayor Lee and seven public officials, while Fairfax County was represented by Chairman McKay, Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hill, Economic Development Authority Director Victor Hoskins, and affiliated officials.

Mayor Lee said, "Yongin, where a mega semiconductor industry cluster is being established, and Fairfax County, regarded as the Silicon Valley of the U.S. East Coast, share many commonalities such as large-scale investments by companies related to semiconductors and advanced industries, as well as population growth. I hope that through this friendship agreement, the two cities can develop by exchanging businesses, universities, and culture."

Chairman McKay also responded, "Establishing a friendship agreement with Yongin, the center of South Korea's semiconductor industry and a city growing innovatively, will bring significant benefits in various fields. We will strive to exchange information and communicate so that both cities can develop together."

Building on this friendship agreement, the two cities agreed to cooperate in five areas: ▲ visits by representatives of both local governments ▲ exchanges between academic institutions and invitations to admission briefings ▲ encouragement of export consultation meetings involving the Yongin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yongin Industry Promotion Agency, and Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce ▲ invitations and performances by art groups from both cities ▲ and promotion of tourism for residents of both cities.

Before the signing ceremony, Mayor Lee met with officials from the County Economic Development Authority to discuss ways to expand industrial exchanges between the two cities. At this meeting, the Economic Development Authority introduced support measures such as marketing for Korean companies entering the local market, guidance on government regulations, and office arrangements.

Fairfax County is home to more than 10,000 high-tech companies, with approximately 170,000 workers in the advanced technology sector. In September, it will host the "Quantum Mechanics Industry Conference," which will gather over 1,000 companies, investment firms, and research institutions from more than 30 countries.

Mayor Lee stated, "Yongin should learn from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority’s programs that provide customized services to companies and build a better network environment for corporate investment. We will strive for greater cooperation between the two cities based on our shared interests in 'innovation' and 'advanced industries.'"

Fairfax County administers 75 cities including Alexandria, Centreville, Reston, and McLean, covering a total area of 1,052 km². It is the third-largest Korean population area in the United States, with offices of the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology and the Korean Intellectual Property Office located locally. About 70 Korean companies such as Hanwha Aerospace, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Golfzon, and StarKist are also active in the area.

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