Hanam City Welcomes Delegation from Arkansas Economic Development Commission... "Strengthening Business Partnerships"

by Lee jonggu

Published 14 Oct.2024 16:43(KST)

Lee Hyun-jae, Mayor of Hanam (fifth from the right), is welcoming Clint O'Neill, Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, USA, and the delegation of the Economic Development Committee visiting Korea.

Lee Hyun-jae, Mayor of Hanam City, welcomed a delegation from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (hereinafter referred to as the delegation), including Clint O'Neal, Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, who visited Korea, and shared information about the K-Star World development project, discussing ways to activate exchanges between the two cities.

According to Hanam City on the 14th, Mayor Lee Hyun-jae held a tour and dinner event on the 12th in Hanam City with Clint O'Neal, Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Olivia Womack, Director of Business Development, Dennis Hwang, Head of the Korea Office, and Bochra El Ghali, Manager of the Korea Office, visiting Union Tower, Starfield, and other areas of Hanam City.

Previously, in March, Hanam City signed an economic cooperation agreement with the Arkansas economic delegation visiting Korea, and in July, a Hanam City delegation visited the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to discuss establishing a communication channel to revitalize economic cooperation between the cities.

This reception was held as a follow-up to those efforts, aiming to strengthen the business partnership between Hanam City and Arkansas.

On this day, Mayor Lee Hyun-jae, along with Clint O'Neal and other members of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission delegation and Lee Hee-geun, Chairman of the Hanam City Entrepreneurs Association, visited the Union Tower observatory, which offers a panoramic view of Misa Island (Misa-seom), the site of the K-Star World project, introduced the significance and expected effects of the K-Star World development project, and requested global cooperation to establish a K-Culture hub city.

In particular, the delegation toured major facilities within Hanam Starfield and participated in the lighting ceremony of the Hanam City character public exhibition held at Misa Lake Park, enjoying busking performances and creating a friendly atmosphere by taking commemorative selfies with Hanam citizens they met on site.

After the dinner, the delegation ended the day by visiting the Misa Riverside sandy path, where they could take a barefoot walk while enjoying the romantic atmosphere with music and a beautiful view of the Han River. The delegation expressed that they were impressed by the well-separated sandy path and bicycle path, as well as the clean and beautifully maintained environment.

Clint O'Neal stated, “Through this visit, I have developed a deep interest not only in economic cooperation with Hanam City but also in youth exchange programs,” expressing his interest in exchange programs. He added, “It is very meaningful that the sister city relationship between Little Rock and Hanam City has lasted for 32 years, and I hope to continue this exchange partnership, visiting frequently and cooperating in the future.”

Mayor Lee Hyun-jae responded, “Hanam City will move toward mutual prosperity based on close cooperation with Arkansas,” and said, “I hope that active youth and staff exchanges between the two cities will provide many opportunities for talents from both regions to understand each other’s cultures and grow together,” adding, “We will continue to strengthen cooperation in various fields.”

Meanwhile, Hanam City is striving to attract businesses and create quality jobs to leap forward as a global city, and is making every effort to develop as a cultural hub city by regularly hosting various cultural performance events such as regional busking performances and Music in Hanam.