Mayor Lee Gang-deok's Special Lecture at Istanbul University, a World-Renowned Institution
Ceremony for Exchange Agreement with Private Organizations to Revitalize Culture and Tourism
Pohang City visited Beyo?lu District in Istanbul, the heart of Turkish culture and arts, from the 15th to the 17th to establish global partnerships as part of its rebranding as a culture, tourism, and arts-centered city.
On the 17th, Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, visited Beyo?lu Municipality in Istanbul, Turkey, and exchanged a letter of intent for friendly exchange between the two cities with ?nan G?ney, Mayor of Beyo?lu District. Photo by Pohang City
On the 17th, Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang visited the Beyo?lu District Office in Istanbul, Turkey, met with Mayor ?nan G?ney of Beyo?lu District, exchanged letters of intent for friendly exchanges between the two cities, and agreed to strengthen mutual cooperation in various fields such as culture, tourism, arts, sports, economy, and education.
The relationship between Pohang City and Beyo?lu began in the private sector with the 2022 "65th Anniversary of Korea-Turkey Diplomatic Relations Commemorative Art Exchange Exhibition" (Art Pohang Steering Committee).
With the signing of this letter of intent, the two cities will mutually cooperate in cultural and artistic creation and exhibition exchanges, local tourism programs, and private and human exchanges, and plan to sign a sister city friendship agreement in the near future to support these efforts.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, "Establishing a new partnership with Beyo?lu, known as the heart of Turkish culture and arts, will serve as a catalyst for expanding the cultural and artistic base of Pohang," adding, "Expanding the international network will be a stepping stone for Pohang to advance as a MICE industry promoter and an international marine tourism and cultural city."
Earlier on the 15th, Mayor Lee Kang-deok visited Istanbul University (Beyazıt Campus), a world-renowned university in Turkey, and gave a special lecture titled "Pohang's Industrial Transformation and Youth Policies for Future Generations" to Korean language and literature students.
On the 15th, Lee Gang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, visited Istanbul University (Beyazıt Campus), a world-renowned university in Turkey, and gave a special lecture to students majoring in Korean Language and Literature. Photo by Pohang City
In the lecture, Mayor Lee introduced Pohang's achievements in the new industrial transformation, emphasizing that these results were made possible by Pohang's attractive infrastructure and the nurturing of future generation talents, and explained that efforts are being made to create a city where young talents want to stay.
The lecture was attended by Lee Woo-sung, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Istanbul, and Seo Jong-deok, Head of POSCO ASSAN TST Corporation. After the lecture, a launch ceremony for the "Pohang Global (POGL) SNS Supporters" was held for 20 Korean language and literature students at Istanbul University who are interested in Korean culture.
The city appointed them as supporters to promote Pohang's charm, using SNS to publicize Pohang worldwide, and plans to invite them to the Pohang International Youth Camp to be held next year. The global supporters program will also be expanded to sister and friendship exchange cities of Pohang in the future.
On the 16th, to expand continuous exchanges with Beyo?lu District, the Pohang Culture and Tourism Association (Chairman Kim Do-jun) and the Turkey-Korea Cultural Exchange Association (Chairman Park Yong-deok) held a "Cultural and Tourism Activation Exchange Agreement Ceremony (MOU)" and discussed cultural and tourism exchange projects and the development of joint tourism product brands.
Following this, the Pohang city delegation visited the Turkey Veterans Association ?irke?i Branch in Istanbul to pay respects to Korean War veterans, meeting with veterans, their families, and the Korean Association for Veterans Memorial Projects, representing the citizens of Pohang, one of the major battle sites during the Korean War, to express their respect.
On the 16th, Lee Gang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, visited the Turkey Veterans Association Sirkeci Branch to express his respect for Korean War veterans in the Istanbul area. Photo by Pohang City
Additionally, the delegation visited the Pohang Cultural Foundation and the Atat?rk Culture Center (AKM), the fourth largest art center in the world, to benchmark the "Beyo?lu Culture Road" project that transformed Beyo?lu into a global cultural hub and the technical design elements within the center, and discussed cooperation plans with the foundation.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, "This visit will be the first step in expanding Pohang's unique cultural and tourism resources onto the global stage and creating new value together with Turkey," adding, "We will redouble efforts to strengthen competitiveness so that Pohang can stand tall as a center of culture and tourism in the world."
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