Chuncheon City Signs Friendship Agreement with Wuxi and Strengthens Exchanges with Changzhou to Elevate Global Status

Mayor Yook Donghan and City Delegation Visit Jiangsu Province, China, October 21-25
Friendship City Signing Ceremony with Wuxi
Pledge to Expand Taekwondo-Centered Exchanges
WT Headquarters Construction Gains Momentum with 3.5 Billion Won in National Funding Secured for Next Year

Yook Donghan, Mayor of Chuncheon, along with a Chuncheon City delegation, will visit Wuxi and Changzhou in Jiangsu Province, China, from October 21 to 25 to strengthen exchanges in sports, culture, and industry. During the five-day, four-night visit, the delegation will sign a friendship and cooperation agreement with Wuxi and solidify its existing partnership with Changzhou, which is already a sister city.

Chuncheon City Hall exterior view.

On October 22 at 11:00 a.m. local time, Mayor Yook will attend a signing ceremony at Wuxi City Hall with Wuxi Mayor Zhang Feng and World Taekwondo (WT) President Cho Jungwon, marking the beginning of a new chapter in exchange between the cities. With this agreement, the two cities plan to institutionalize exchanges as WT hub cities and expand their international networks in various fields, including sports, culture, and industry.

Wuxi, an industrial city with a population of 7.5 million, is known as the "city of lakes" for its scenic beauty surrounding Lake Taihu and its advanced industries. With its thriving electronics and biotechnology sectors, Wuxi is similar to Chuncheon in its harmonious blend of industry and nature. The common language connecting the two cities is Taekwondo. Wuxi is home to the World Taekwondo Wuxi Center, established in 2018, which, alongside the WT headquarters in Seoul and the liaison office in Lausanne, Switzerland, serves as a key global hub for WT, regularly hosting international competitions, training, and education. Chuncheon is also scheduled to become the new home of the WT headquarters in 2028, raising expectations for a deeper partnership between the two cities through Taekwondo.

Meanwhile, Chuncheon’s flagship project to build the new WT headquarters is progressing smoothly. The total project budget is 22 billion won, with an initial 500 million won in national funding allocated last year, which has enabled the city to complete planning, site surveys, and archaeological investigations. An additional 3.5 billion won in national funding has been included in the government’s 2026 budget proposal, moving the project into full-scale development. Ahead of the budget review, city officials recently met with National Assembly Secretariat representatives to emphasize the necessity and justification for the project. The Secretariat has expressed support, brightening prospects for securing next year’s funding and accelerating the project’s progress.

The 3.5 billion won in national funding for next year will be used for key preparatory stages of the headquarters construction, including the basic and detailed design, site leveling and infrastructure, and the creation of international exchange spaces. Through the construction of the WT headquarters, the city aims to establish itself as a global hub for peace and exchange centered on Taekwondo.

Wuxi will host the 2025 World Taekwondo Championships from October 24 to 30. Ahead of the opening, the Chuncheon delegation will attend the WT General Assembly, welcome banquet, and opening ceremony on October 23 and 24 to observe the international event’s operating system and strengthen cooperation with WT.

The WT General Assembly on October 23, the day before the opening, will include elections for president, vice president, and executive committee members. Incumbent President Cho Jungwon is running unopposed and is expected to secure a sixth consecutive term. During this period, the Chuncheon delegation will hold meetings with key WT officials to further expand the foundation for international cooperation.

The delegation will also tour the opening ceremony and main competition venues to review stadium layouts, spectator infrastructure, and operational systems. These insights will be incorporated into preparations for the 2026 Chuncheon World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships to establish an international-level operating system.

On October 24, the delegation will visit Changzhou, an existing sister city in China.

Changzhou is China’s first animation industry base and a cultural city with a thriving creative animation and content industry. The two cities first connected in 2006 through a joint animation production and expanded their relationship by signing a friendship and cooperation agreement in 2011. Since then, they have continued to collaborate in various fields such as administration, culture, and sports, and last year, they resumed library and sports exchanges, further strengthening their friendship.

The first item on the delegation’s agenda in Changzhou will be attending a book donation ceremony at Changzhou City Library. This event is a follow-up to the agreement signed last year between Chuncheon City Library and Changzhou City Library, with Changzhou donating books to Chuncheon as a reaffirmation of both cities’ commitment to cultural and informational exchange.

The delegation will then visit the Changzhou Urban Planning Museum and City Hall to meet with key city officials, including Mayor Zhou Wei of Changzhou, to discuss the continued promotion of cultural, administrative, and sports exchanges and explore cooperation on urban policy. Later that afternoon, they will tour a local biotechnology company to explore potential connections with Chuncheon’s bio-health industry strategies.

Through this official visit, the city aims to build on 14 years of friendship and further solidify practical cooperation across culture, administration, and industry.

A city official commented, "This trip will serve as an opportunity to expand international exchanges centered on Taekwondo and turn our long-standing sister city relationships into tangible achievements. By fostering exchanges spanning sports, culture, and industry, we aim to further elevate Chuncheon’s status as a global city."

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