Gumi City Dispatches Asia-Pacific Exchange Delegation

Promoting Economic, Cultural, and Sports Exchanges
in Guam, the Philippines, and Changsha, China

Gumi City in North Gyeongsang Province will send a delegation of 10 members, led by Mayor Kim Jangho, on a seven-night, eight-day trip from September 15 to 22, 2025, to promote global exchanges and expand its economic reach. The delegation will visit Guam, a U.S. territory; Manila, Philippines; and Changsha, China.

The objectives of this visit are to expand agricultural and food exports, help small and medium-sized enterprises enter overseas markets, and strengthen cooperation with international sister cities.

Gumi City Hall. Photo by Lee Ihwan

On September 16, the delegation will visit Guam and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the promotion of agricultural and food trade with Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero. This agreement is expected to serve as a stepping stone for Gumi’s agricultural and food products to enter overseas markets and to establish a stable export base. The delegation will also meet with local buyers and major retailers to discuss export strategies and ways to expand trade.

On September 18, the delegation will visit Valenzuela City, one of the 17 cities in Metro Manila, and meet with Mayor Weslie Gatchalian. They will explore cooperation models aligned with the Philippine government’s smart city policy and discuss ways to boost exports of Gumi’s information and communications technology companies and promote economic cooperation between the two cities.

Additionally, the delegation will hold a meeting with the Federation of Korean Associations in the Philippines to seek advice on entering the local market, and pay a courtesy visit to Lee Sanghwa, the Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, to request support for the safety and business development of Korean companies operating locally.

On September 20, the delegation will visit Changsha, China, to sign an exchange agreement between the Gumi City Council and the Standing Committee of the Changsha People’s Congress. On September 21, they will attend the opening ceremony of the Hunan Changsha International Friendship Cities Youth Soccer Tournament and sign an agreement to promote youth sports exchanges between the Gumi Sports Council, Gumi Football Association, and Changsha Football Association.

The opening ceremony will also feature a cultural performance by the Gumi Cultural Center’s youth performance group. Middle school soccer players from Gumi will compete as the Korean delegation, engaging in friendly competition with youth teams from China and Japan for a week.

Furthermore, the delegation will meet with Wu Guiying, Party Secretary of Changsha, to discuss ways to promote exchanges between the two cities and pursue practical cooperation in advanced industries and new growth sectors.

Mayor Kim Jangho stated, “Dispatching this Asia-Pacific exchange delegation will greatly contribute to revitalizing Gumi’s local economy and enhancing its status as an international city by expanding overseas markets for agricultural and food products and small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as strengthening cooperation with international sister cities.”

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