Yamaguchi City, Japan Visits Changwon Special City to Celebrate 15th Anniversary of Sister City Partnership

Mayor Hong Nampyo: "Looking Forward to Continued Progressive Cooperation with Our Longtime Sister City"

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam announced that a delegation from its sister city, Yamaguchi City, Japan, visited Changwon for three days starting on the 23rd to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their international sister city relationship.

Yamaguchi City, Japan, Visits Changwon Special City to Commemorate 15th Anniversary of Sister City Relationship.

This visit marks the first resumption of friendly exchanges between the two cities since the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, it is the first time both the mayor and the chairperson of Yamaguchi have visited simultaneously since the sister city agreement was established. During their stay, the delegation is scheduled to attend the 13th Korea-Japan Youth Sports Exchange, tour Changwon's tourist attractions and sports facilities, among other activities.

For the first time in five years, the friendly exchange was resumed, with Changwon Mayor Hong Nam-pyo and Changwon City Council Chairperson Son Tae-hwa welcoming Mayor Ito Kazuki and Chairperson Irie Sachie together.

During this meeting, Changwon introduced its key industries, including defense, nuclear power, and hydrogen, while Yamaguchi presented its tourism industry and requested a reciprocal visit from Changwon next year.

Yamaguchi Mayor Ito Kazuki stated, "Through today's meeting, I hope the friendship and mutual understanding between our two cities will deepen, and that we will continue to grow together."

Mayor Hong Nam-pyo said, "Changwon Special City and Yamaguchi have long maintained a sister city relationship. I hope this visit will further vitalize and develop exchanges in the fields of economy, culture, and sports, and that our cooperative relationship will continue to flourish."

Meanwhile, Yamaguchi is the capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan. Historically known as the 'Kyoto of the West,' the city has prospered greatly and is famous for the national treasure Rurikoji Five-story Pagoda and Yuda Onsen. Since signing the international sister city agreement with Changwon on November 16, 2009, exchanges and cooperation in areas such as sports and tourism have continued steadily at the private level.