Europe, South America, and Africa Turn Their Attention to Changwon Special City

Ambassadors of the Czech Republic and Chile to Korea, Deputy Minister of Environment of Kenya, and Delegation Visit for Exchange and Cooperation on Nuclear Power, Hydrogen, and Environmental Policies

Mayor Hong Nampyo: "We Will Further Strengthen Local Government Diplomacy to Become a Northeast Asia Hub City"

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam is gaining attention as a city recognized in Europe, South America, and Africa.

On November 29, Changwon Special City announced on the 1st that delegations from Europe (Czech Republic), South America (Chile), and Africa (Kenya) visited Changwon in large numbers to exchange and cooperate on nuclear power, hydrogen, and environmental policies.

◆Chile Discusses Cooperation on Hydrogen Industry and Cultural Exchange

At around 10 a.m. that day, the Chilean delegation, including Mathias Francke, Ambassador of Chile to Korea, visited Changwon City Hall. At this meeting, Mayor Hong Nam-pyo and the Chilean delegation discussed ways to promote the hydrogen energy industry and cultural exchange between the two countries.

Mayor Hong Nampyo and the Chilean delegation discussed ways to promote the hydrogen energy industry and cultural exchange between the two countries.

Visits to learn about Changwon’s hydrogen industry continue from around the world, including Australia, Malaysia, Oman, and China. In particular, Changwon’s status as a leading city in the hydrogen industry was widely recognized worldwide when it joined the presidential economic delegation as the only basic local government in January 2023 and visited Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Chile was also the first Latin American country to announce a national hydrogen strategy and is actively promoting policies for transitioning to a hydrogen economy, including expanding the use of green hydrogen. This visit is expected to lead to expanded mutual cooperation and exchange between Changwon, an international leading city in the hydrogen industry, and Chile.

◆Czech Republic Promotes International Cooperation and Exchange in Nuclear Power

At 11 a.m., the Czech delegation, including Jan Fischer, former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, and Ivan Jancarek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Korea, visited the Citizen Hall at City Hall for the Czech-Korean Forum for the Future invitation meeting. This delegation visit was arranged after the Czech-Korean Forum for the Future and Changwon City agreed to support Czech nuclear power exports at the level of private diplomacy.

In October, Mayor Hong personally visited Doosan ?koda Power in the Czech Republic to discuss specific participation plans for Changwon-based companies in Czech nuclear power exports. At this meeting, Changwon City also proposed strengthening local government diplomacy as a way to expand the participation of Changwon companies in new nuclear power plant construction in the Czech Republic. The city plans to continue cooperating with the Czech-Korean Forum for the Future to discover friendly cooperative cities in the Czech Republic.

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, is explaining the benchmarking of resource circulation facilities and environmental policies at a meeting with the visiting delegation from Kenya.

◆Kenya Benchmarks Resource Circulation Facilities and Environmental Policies

On November 21, Changwon City received the highest award in the Ministry of Environment’s ‘2024 Waste Treatment Facility Operation Evaluation’ and achieved excellent results with five waste treatment facilities receiving A grades. Demonstrating this excellence, in the afternoon, the Kenyan delegation, including Festus Ng'eno, Deputy Minister of the Kenyan Ministry of Environment, visited Changwon City’s resource circulation facility located in Sinchon-dong, Seongsan-gu.

The Kenyan delegation visited to benchmark Changwon City’s excellent resource circulation facility policies after attending the 5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting of the UN Plastic Treaty held in Busan. At the site, the delegation received explanations from officials about the overall status of resource circulation facilities, including incineration, recycling, food waste, and biogas facilities for wastewater, and discussed future cooperation plans.

Mayor Hong Nam-pyo of Changwon said, “The fact that delegations from various countries visited to exchange in the fields of hydrogen, nuclear power, and environment, where we are doing well, shows that Changwon City has global competitiveness in each field,” adding, “We will further strengthen local government diplomacy to advance as a central city in Northeast Asia.”