Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok Proposes Economic Community of Major Port Cities in Korea, Japan, and China

Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon, currently on a business trip to Japan, proposed the formation of an economic community among representative port cities of Korea, Japan, and China.

Incheon City announced that on the 31st, Mayor Yoo met with Mayor Yamanaka Takeharu of Yokohama, a sister city of Incheon, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation among Incheon, Yokohama, and Tianjin, China.

Mayor Yoo emphasized the importance of friendly cooperation among Korea, Japan, and China for the future of Northeast Asia and the benefits of an economic community, stating, "It is necessary to promote exchanges among Incheon, Yokohama, and Tianjin, three open port cities and representative port cities of the three countries, so that companies and the private sector can continuously interact without being affected by domestic and international political changes."

He added, "City diplomacy led by local governments and the private sector can approach cooperative policies more flexibly than central governments, so I propose that the three open port cities with great historical and spatial similarities form an economic community."

Mayor Yamanaka expressed agreement, saying, "I expect that exchanges among local governments in various fields beyond economic exchanges, such as joint responses to environmental issues and the climate crisis, will contribute to peace and stability among Korea, Japan, and China."

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, currently on a business trip to Japan, is meeting with Yokohama Mayor Yamanaka Takeharu on the 31st to discuss ways to promote friendly cooperation between the two cities.
[Photo by Incheon City]

Earlier, in June, Mayor Yoo visited Tianjin, China, where he met with top leaders including the Party Secretary and Mayor, proposing the formation of an economic community involving governors from Korea, Japan, and China. At that time, Secretary Chen Min'er and Mayor Zhang Gong also agreed.

Mayor Yoo is scheduled to attend the 7th Korea-Japan Governors' Meeting held in Yamanashi Prefecture on July 1-2, where he will discuss measures to address low birth rates and aging populations, as well as cooperation among local governments.