Sister City Partnership with Williamson County, USA in September
Economic Delegations from Sacramento and Fairfax Also Visit
Exchanges between Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province and major overseas cities are continuing. The city explains that the rise in urban recognition is due to the creation of a large-scale semiconductor belt, including the Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex and the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster.
According to Yongin City on the 20th, the Yongin City Council passed the 'Agreement on International Sister City Relationship between Yongin Special City and Williamson County (USA)' on the 18th. Williamson County, located in Tennessee, comprises 27 cities. Taylor City, where Samsung Electronics plans to invest $44 billion (about 61 trillion KRW) by 2030 in semiconductor foundry, advanced packaging, and research & development (R&D), is also located in Williamson County.
Last February, Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin (right), explained the city's semiconductor belt construction plan to officials from Williamson County, Texas, USA, who visited Yongin City Hall. [Photo by Yongin City]
Earlier, in February, Yongin City exchanged a letter of intent for friendly exchanges with Williamson County, marking the first time such an agreement was made at the county level. A county is an administrative unit below the state level.
With the passage of this sister city agreement, the city plans to formalize the sister city relationship with Williamson County at City Hall in September during Yongin Citizens' Day. Following that, in January next year, another sister city event will be held at the Williamson County government office. Previously, the city had exchanged a letter of intent for friendly exchanges with Williamson County in February.
Other overseas cities are also expanding exchanges with Yongin City. Next month, an economic delegation from Sacramento, California, will visit Yongin. In September, a delegation from the Swedish Parliament's Health and Welfare Committee will visit Yongin to benchmark city policies such as the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Care Service.'
An economic delegation from Fairfax County, near Washington D.C. in Virginia, where many Korean residents live, is also expected to visit Yongin in October for a meeting with Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il.
The expansion of exchanges between Yongin City and overseas cities is attributed to the increased recognition following the establishment of a large-scale semiconductor belt. Yongin is set to host the 'Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex,' in which Samsung Electronics is investing 360 trillion KRW; the 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster,' with an investment of 122 trillion KRW by SK Hynix; and the 'Giheung Future Research Complex,' where Samsung Electronics is investing 20 trillion KRW. The city expects that once these projects are completed, Yongin will establish the world's largest semiconductor ecosystem as a single city.
The city is also coordinating the timing for signing a friendly exchange agreement with Seville, Spain. Seville is an industrial hub accounting for 25% of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP). Earlier this year, during Mayor Lee's visit to Spain, a letter of intent for friendly exchanges was exchanged with Seville.
Mayor Lee said, "We will strengthen cooperation with major overseas cities to enhance the city's status and contribute to the development of Yongin."
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