Gumi City Delegation Visits Bac Ninh City, Vietnam ... Strengthening Cooperation Between Sister Cities

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk Province dispatched a delegation led by Vice Mayor Kim Ho-seop for a 3-night, 4-day visit from the 28th to December 1st to strengthen exchange and cooperation with Bac Ninh City, Vietnam, an economic and industrial hub and an international sister city.

The Gumi City delegation visiting Bac Ninh City attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Saemaul pilot village.

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On the 29th, the delegation visited Hwa-dinh Village in Bac Ninh City, the target village for the overseas Saemaul pilot village project initiated by the city this year. They attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the "Smart Suburban Agriculture Development Saemaul Pilot Village" along with the Vice Mayor of Bac Ninh City, the Saemaul Foundation, village officials, and residents. They also confirmed the global status of the Saemaul Movement and held a meeting with Mayor Nguyen Song Ha at Bac Ninh City Hall, signing a memorandum of understanding to ensure smooth progress of the project.

The "Overseas Saemaul Pilot Village Project" is a program aimed at spreading the successful experience of the Saemaul Movement worldwide, inheriting its spirit to eradicate global poverty and improve the quality of life in developing countries. From 2023 to 2027, over five years, a total of 750 million KRW will be supported, with 150 million KRW annually, to establish the project in Hwa-dinh Village, Bo Keong-dong, Bac Ninh City, Vietnam.

Through this project, the foundation will be laid for expanding the Saemaul Movement's success model globally by supporting local governance formation (village assemblies, Saemaul meetings, etc.), educational activities (Saemaul education, cooperatives, agricultural technology training, etc.), income-increasing projects (smart farm projects), brand development, installation of agricultural water wells and warehouses, hydroponic cultivation support, urban agriculture, and other infrastructure and living environment improvements.

On the evening of the 29th, the delegation held a joint cultural performance between Gumi City and Bac Ninh City at the Bac Ninh Cultural, Sports, and Media Center under the theme "Korea-Vietnam Cultural Colors," attended by the Bac Ninh City Party Secretary and about 500 citizens.

The Gumi performance team, prepared by the Gumi Cultural Center, showcased Korean traditional creative dance and K-POP dance, receiving enthusiastic responses from the audience. The Bac Ninh City performance group presented traditional songs and dances, creating an international cultural exchange stage based on the unique cultural colors of both countries.

Gumi-Bac Ninh Cultural Exchange Performance.

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Subsequently, the Gumi delegation attended the signing ceremony of a friendship exchange agreement between Gyeongbuk Province and Bac Ninh Province and the unveiling ceremony of a friendship exchange monument in the Bac Ninh International Friendship Park, together with Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk Province and other representatives visiting Bac Ninh during the same period. They also visited Gumi companies operating in Bac Ninh Province to offer encouragement.

Vice Mayor Kim Ho-seop stated, "The cooperation between the two cities, which started based on their commonality as representative economic and industrial cities, has expanded through this visit beyond economic cooperation to cultural and artistic exchanges, as well as the global dissemination of Gumi City's successful Saemaul Movement experience. We expect this to open a new horizon for local diplomacy for Gumi City."

Bac Ninh City, with an area of 82.6 km² and a population of 500,000, hosts 16 industrial complexes. It ranks third nationwide in average income and first in industrial production and export volume. As the capital of Bac Ninh Province, it is the center of Vietnam's electronics and high-tech industries and is home to 19 of the 44 Gumi companies operating in Vietnam.

Gumi City and Bac Ninh City signed a letter of intent for friendship in October 2019. Despite difficulties in face-to-face exchanges due to COVID-19, they maintained a strong friendly relationship by continuously exchanging letters of mutual support and encouragement.

Since Mayor Kim Jang-ho of Gumi visited Bac Ninh City in October 2022 to sign a friendship agreement between the two cities, exchanges have continued actively, including visits by Bac Ninh Province Vice Governors to Gumi and economic exchange meetings, a visit by the Bac Ninh Mayor's delegation to Gumi in July this year, and participation by six Bac Ninh officials and chefs at the overseas sister city booth during the 2nd Gumi Ramen Festival.

On the 30th, the delegation plans to visit Gumi companies operating in Bac Ninh Province, such as Intops, to encourage Korean entrepreneurs, and will return home on December 1st.

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