Icheon City Discusses Ways to Expand Exchanges with Overseas Sister City Delegations

Delegations from the US, France, China, and Japan Attend Icheon Ceramics Festival
Mayor Kim Kyunghee: "We Will Continue to Expand Cooperation in Various Fields"

Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province, announced on April 29 that it had discussed cooperation measures to expand exchanges with delegations from overseas sister cities who visited to celebrate the opening of the 39th Icheon Ceramics Festival, which began on April 25.

A delegation from an overseas sister city visiting Icheon to celebrate the Icheon Ceramics Festival is taking a commemorative photo with Mayor Kim Kyunghee and other Icheon city officials. Provided by Icheon City

Delegations from sister cities, including Limoges in France, Koka and Seto in Japan, Jingdezhen and Weifang in China, and Santa Fe and Santa Clara in the United States, attended this year's festival.

The delegation from Limoges, France, visited Korea Tourism College to discuss ways to expand student exchanges for nurturing future talent. Limoges plans to hold a ceremony in September to mark the 10th anniversary of its sister city relationship with Icheon. For this event, Professor Lee Youngsoon, a culinary researcher at Korea Tourism College, and students will participate in the Limoges Food Festival to present Korean cuisine made with Icheon rice. In May, Icheon Tongsinsa will take part in the Limoges parade event to showcase Geobuknori and other traditional performances.

The delegations from Santa Fe and Santa Clara in the United States visited the Icheon Office of Education to discuss youth language and cultural exchanges using online platforms, as well as plans for mutual visits.

The delegation from Koka, Japan, agreed to send a Koka performance team and a Koka citizen exchange group to Icheon in August for "Pungnyu," an event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the sister city relationship, which will be held at the Icheon Intangible Cultural Heritage Training Center. The delegation from Seto benchmarked key facilities in Icheon, such as the 24-hour childcare center and the Hyoyang Library.

The delegation from Jingdezhen, China, not only attended the opening ceremony but also held a demonstration event at the Korea-China International Artist Exchange Exhibition booth. Jingdezhen also invited Icheon City to the Jingdezhen International Ceramics Fair, which will be held in October. The Weifang delegation held a plaque unveiling ceremony for the mutual exchange workstation for international artist-in-residence programs with Icheon City.

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon, said, "Based on the friendship and trust we have continuously built with our overseas sister cities, we will actively promote exchange projects in various fields, including the economy, culture, and sports."