Jeonju City Seeks to Upgrade Relationship with Florence to Sister Cities

Expanding Exchanges to Strengthen Status as an International Cultural City

Jeonju City in North Jeolla Province is seeking to upgrade its relationship with Florence, Italy, from a friendship city to a sister city as the 20th anniversary of their cooperative ties approaches.

On April 10, Jeonju City held a meeting to discuss the expansion of exchanges commemorating the 20th anniversary of friendship between Jeonju and Florence. The meeting was attended by Acting Mayor Yoon Dongwook, along with officials from the Jeonju Cultural Foundation and the Jeonju Tourism Foundation, to review the direction of future cooperation.

During the meeting, participants reflected on the achievements of past exchanges and shared collaborative projects in key fields such as culture, crafts, tourism, and policy, while discussing practical ways to strengthen cooperation.

Since signing a friendship agreement in 2007, based on their shared foundations in culture, film, arts, and crafts, Jeonju and Florence have built a strong partnership through diverse exchanges, including participation in the International Handicraft Fair and the Florence Korean Film Festival.

Florence, known as the cradle of the Renaissance, is a globally renowned cultural city whose entire urban area is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, enjoying high international prestige.

Jeonju City plans to mark the 20th anniversary of the friendship agreement in 2027 by upgrading the relationship between the two cities to that of sister cities, expanding the scope of exchanges, and strengthening its status as an international cultural city.

At the meeting, specific initiatives were discussed, including participation in the International Handicraft Fair, joint projects among local artists, regular policy exchanges, expansion of private sector cooperation in crafts, cuisine, and film, cultural heritage restoration collaboration, sharing of sustainable tourism policies and joint development of a tourism brand, as well as operation of the Jeonju-Florence Travel Lounge. The city plans to further specify these projects through working-level consultations with Florence and gradually broaden the scope of exchanges.

Acting Mayor Yoon Dongwook stated, "We will establish a sustainable foundation for exchanges by upgrading our relationship to sister cities and discovering practical cooperative projects."

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