'Corona City Diplomacy' Initiated by Gyeongju City... Quarantine Supplies to Sister and Friendship Cities in Japan

Published 21 May.2020 10:51(KST)

Updated 14 Aug.2025 01:20(KST)

Nakagawa Gen, Mayor of Nara, holding a "Thank You" sign in front of the quarantine supplies sent by Gyeongju City.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on the 21st that it will support its Japanese sister and friendship cities, which are struggling to procure quarantine supplies due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), with city stockpiled protective suits and other items.

First, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship, Gyeongju City supported 1,200 sets of stockpiled protective suits and 1,000 protective goggles each to Nara City and Kyoto City, its exchange cities in Japan. The city plans to provide 500 sets of protective suits and 500 protective goggles each to other friendship cities as well.

As the coronavirus spreads throughout Japan, as of 0:00 on the 21st, it is reported that there are 19 confirmed cases in Nara City and 248 in Kyoto City.

Mayor Joo Nak-young of Gyeongju emphasized, "Helping in times of difficulty is what true friends and neighbors do," adding, "It does not matter who extends a hand first. Now is the time for Korea and Japan to cooperate in responding to COVID-19."

Recently, the Japanese government has been issuing messages such as "Sharing information and exchanging experiences with Korea will be very helpful for Japan's response" (Prime Minister Abe) and "We want to share quarantine experiences with Korea and China" (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare).

At a time when Korea-Japan cooperation is urgently needed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gyeongju City's humanitarian support of quarantine supplies to its Japanese sister and friendship cities is expected by the city to serve as a catalyst for Korea-Japan COVID-19 cooperation.

Meanwhile, Gyeongju City was the first local government in the country to share its COVID-19 quarantine experience with 21 cities in 11 countries, including overseas sister and friendship cities and exchange cities. In Kyoto City, Mayor Joo Nak-young's video message of encouragement and Gyeongju City's COVID-19 response casebook were introduced on Kyoto City's official YouTube channel and the League of Historical Cities (LHC) website.