Yisang-il, Mayor of Yongin, Visits Paris to Support Athlete Woosanghyuk

Benchmarking of the Complex Transfer Center 'Forum de Al'

Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, announced that he will visit Paris, France from the 6th to the 12th to support Woo Sang-hyeok, the city-affiliated national high jump representative who is participating in the '2024 Paris Olympics.'

Lee Sang-il (center), Mayor of Yongin, is seen at Incheon International Airport with city employees, wishing athlete Woo Sang-hyeok and the South Korean team success before their departure.
[Photo by Yongin City]

On the 7th at 10 a.m. (local time), Mayor Lee will watch Woo’s preliminary round at Stade de France, where the athletics events are held. After the preliminaries, he plans to have lunch with Woo, Kim Do-gyun, coach of the Korean national vertical jump team, and others to offer encouragement.

On the morning of the 8th, he will visit the Paris Olympic Aquatic Center to inspect the facility and cheer for Kim Su-ji, the national diving representative. The Aquatic Center, located in Saint-Denis north of Paris, is a wooden architectural structure designed by the French architectural firm Atelier and a Dutch partner. The roof is equipped with solar panels, and the advanced water system allows 50% of the water to be reused. After the Olympics, it will be used as a public sports facility for the local community.

On the same day, Mayor Lee will visit the Republic of Korea delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to exchange views with Ambassador Choi Sang-dae on the economic situation of developed countries and urban policies, and discuss ways to promote exchanges between Yongin City and OECD member cities.

During his visit, Mayor Lee will also tour the Forum des Halles, Europe’s largest integrated transit center. Forum des Halles is a major hub served by three high-speed rail lines and five subway lines. It spans from four basement levels to the first floor above ground, covering a total floor area of 70,000 square meters, and includes a large shopping mall. It serves up to 800,000 users daily.

The visits to the Aquatic Center and Forum des Halles are part of benchmarking efforts for major projects underway in Yongin. The city is constructing the 'Bandabi Sports Center,' which will include an international standard swimming pool, in the temporary parking lot area of Yongin Mir Stadium in Samga-dong, Cheoin-gu. Additionally, a large-scale integrated transit center is planned for the Platform City being developed around Guseong and Bojeong-dong in Giheung-gu.

Mayor Lee plans to cheer for the high jump final on the 10th and meet Woo on the 11th to offer further encouragement.

Mayor Lee said, "While supporting Woo Sang-hyeok’s Olympic challenge, who always delivers positive energy to our people, I will strive to promote Yongin more widely to the world." He added, "I expect that the Aquatic Center, a representative example of eco-friendly architecture, and Forum des Halles, one of Paris’s landmarks, will provide great inspiration to Yongin in terms of facilities and operations."