Jung Won-oh: "Seoul as a G2 City... Restoring Shuttle Diplomacy Among the Capitals of Korea, China, and Japan"

"I Will Reach Out to Tokyo and Beijing First"

Jung Wonoh, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor, announced on April 16 that he plans to restore "Beseto (Seoul-Beijing-Tokyo) shuttle diplomacy" and make Seoul the "G2 Seoul," establishing the city as the economic and cultural capital of Asia.

Jung Wono, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Seoul mayor, is speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On this day, Jung held a press conference for the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC) at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. He stated, "While there may be burdens since Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing are all capital cities, I intend to first propose exchanges at the level of local governments and the private sector." He added, "Seoul will take the initiative by reaching out and visiting those willing to receive us, so that we can exchange opinions."

Jung particularly emphasized, "The Beseto cooperation was launched in 1993, but it has not remained active for the past 30 years due to political and economic issues. However, now the conditions for restoring Beseto shuttle diplomacy have been met, thanks to qualitative changes in Korea-Japan relations and the rapid restoration of Korea-China relations." He continued, "Seoul is in a position to serve as a hub and coordinator between Beijing and Tokyo. If I become mayor, I will first meet with the mayor of Beijing and the governor of Tokyo to create bilateral channels and restore Beseto cooperation."

Through Beseto shuttle diplomacy, Jung pledged to ▲ elevate Seoul as a content platform city connecting Korea, China, and Japan; ▲ share carbon neutrality goals; and ▲ promote cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI) and smart cities.

Jung also stated, "If elected mayor, I will make Seoul the economic and cultural capital of Asia, surpassing Tokyo, Shanghai, and Singapore, and turn it into a global G2 city on par with New York." His key strategies include ▲ establishing four major special economic zones in Yongsan, Hongneung, Yangjae, Guro, and Gasan to attract global enterprises; ▲ creating a cultural industry cluster; and ▲ building a safe city in Seoul.

Jeong Wonoh, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, is speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News

Jung pointed to the language barrier as the biggest challenge faced by foreigners in Korea. He said, "We need to create special zones where foreigners can attend school, work, and enjoy cultural life without inconvenience." He went on to add, "It is important to encourage tourists to visit multiple times. My goal is to make Seoul a city that foreign tourists frequently visit by combining existing resources with new attractions, so that people constantly discover new charms and want to come back again and again."

Regarding exchanges with Pyongyang, North Korea, he commented, "There has already been significant exchange between Seoul and Pyongyang in the past. Since there are already resources such as exchange cooperation funds and ordinances in place, I hope that exchanges can be realized as soon as conditions allow."

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