Busan City Welcomes Hokkaido Delegation to Mark 20th Anniversary of Partnership

To mark the 20th anniversary of their partnership, Busan City met with a delegation from Hokkaido, Japan, to discuss ways to expand cooperation between the two regions.

Busan City (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on the 30th that on the morning of the 29th, Seong Heeyeop, Deputy Mayor of Future Innovation, met with Takayuki Kano, Vice Governor of Hokkaido, Joichi Ito, Chair of the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly, Tetsuo Nakatsukasa, President of the Hokkaido Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Federation, and other members of the Hokkaido delegation to discuss ways to strengthen friendly cooperation between the two cities.

This Hokkaido delegation was composed of about 20 officials from the Hokkaido Prefectural Government, Assembly, and the education and cultural sectors. They visited Busan to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the letter of intent for friendly exchange between Busan and Hokkaido, which was signed in December 2005.

On the 29th, Seong Hee-yeop, Deputy Mayor of Future Innovation of Busan City (far left), met with the Hokkaido delegation to discuss ways to strengthen friendly cooperation between the two cities.

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Deputy Mayor Seong said, "I welcome the Hokkaido delegation's visit to Busan," and added, "Busan and Hokkaido share many geographical and environmental similarities, and we have continued steady exchanges since signing the letter of intent for friendly exchange in 2005." He also noted, "The 'Light On' event held by both cities in 2021 was a meaningful exchange that offered comfort and hope to citizens during the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Deputy Mayor Seong further stated, "Recently, Busan has seen a significant increase in international recognition and a large influx of foreign tourists. Through exchanges with Hokkaido, which is also a popular destination for international visitors, I hope both cities will become even more attractive to people from around the world."

In response, Takayuki Kano, Vice Governor of Hokkaido, said, "The relationship between Busan and Hokkaido has developed remarkably over the past 20 years. There are many direct flights connecting Busan and Hokkaido, and a considerable number of tourists from Busan visit Hokkaido."

Tetsuo Nakatsukasa, President of the Hokkaido Japan-Korea Parliamentarians’ Federation, remarked, "I have always wanted to visit Busan," and added, "I hope that a Busan delegation will also visit Hokkaido's signature events, such as the Sapporo Snow Festival."

Following the meeting, Busan City and the Hokkaido delegation, along with about 40 representatives from Busan’s culture and tourism sectors, discussed a wide range of cooperation measures in education, tourism, culture, human resources, and administrative exchanges. During the meeting, Busan proposed specific cooperation initiatives, including Hokkaido’s membership in the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO), invitations to international events in Busan such as 'Global Week' and the 'Global Tourism Summit,' participation in the K2H training program for foreign local government officials, and library exchanges.

Deputy Mayor Seong concluded the meeting by saying, "I hope this meeting will lead to the formal establishment of a friendly cooperation city relationship with Hokkaido. Once again, I thank you for visiting Busan."

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