Seoul City - Moscow City, 8th Online Policy Sharing Conference Commemorating 30th Anniversary of Friendship Alliance

Discussion on Urban Development Directions in the Post-Corona Era: Sharing Policies and Case Studies on Smart City and Transportation for Citizens' Daily Life in the Non-Face-to-Face Era

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 7th that it will hold the Seoul-Moscow Friendship 30th Anniversary Online Conference from 3:30 PM on the 8th (9:30 AM Moscow time) to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Moscow, Russia. The two cities plan to exchange visions and policies for the post-COVID-19 era at this event.

Since the sister city agreement on July 13, 1991, Seoul and Moscow have actively exchanged in various fields such as climate change response, air quality improvement, public transportation, e-government, smart cities, culture and arts, and tourism, including mutual visits by high-level delegations including the mayors of both cities.

Despite difficulties in face-to-face exchanges due to COVID-19, the two cities have continuously communicated through video conferences in key areas such as economy and tourism. This event, held in real-time non-face-to-face format from both Seoul and Moscow, is designed to explore the roles of cities in the post-COVID-19 era and solutions to urban problems together.

The event will proceed with sharing policy status and cases of Seoul and Moscow, which have achieved excellent results in the especially important fields of 'smart cities' and 'transportation' in the non-face-to-face era, followed by a discussion for more in-depth dialogue. The smart city session will be led by Seoul City Council member Kim In-je, and the transportation session will be hosted by Dmitry Shugorev, anchor of Moscow City.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of International Cooperation at Seoul City, and Sergey Cheremin, Head of the Department of Foreign Economic and International Relations of Moscow, will deliver keynote speeches emphasizing the importance of solidarity and cooperation among world cities to overcome the global COVID-19 pandemic, and highlight the close partnership of 'friendship' and 'trust' that the two cities have walked together for 30 years.

Choi Kyung-joo, Director of International Cooperation at Seoul City, said, “Seoul and Moscow will work together for the continuous development of the relationship between the two cities on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship, and the commemorative events continuing in the second half of this year will be meaningful opportunities to seek practical cooperation enhancement measures between the two capitals and broaden mutual understanding.”