Mayor Cho Kyuil of Jinju Invited to Visit Dortmund City Hall in Germany

Exchange with Dortmund City and Private Arts Organizations
Expanding to Diverse Exchanges Between the Two Cities

The global delegation from Jinju, Gyeongnam, visiting Germany at the invitation of the Dortmund cultural and arts organization, continued its active efforts to promote cultural and artistic exchanges.

The Jinju delegation visited Dortmund City Hall and met with Barbara Brunsing, Deputy Mayor of Dortmund; Lars Kersting, President of the Dortmund Choral Association; and Enss Bitzer, Chairperson of the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) State Choral School. During the meeting, they discussed cultural, artistic, and youth exchanges, as well as ways to enhance cooperation between the two cities.

First, the delegation held a signing ceremony for an agreement to promote cultural and youth exchanges and cooperation among private organizations in Jinju and Dortmund. The agreement involved Jinju City, Dortmund City, the Dortmund Choral Association, and the NRW State Vocal Academy.

More than 40 people attended the signing ceremony, including Cho Kyuil, Mayor of Jinju; Hwang Jinsun, Vice Chairperson of Jinju City Council; Barbara Brunsing, Deputy Mayor of Dortmund; Michael Rohde, Chief Administrative Officer of Dortmund; Lars Kersting, President of the Dortmund Choral Association; Enss Bitzer, Chairperson of the NRW State Choral School; and Zeljko Dabutovic, Director of the NRW State Choral School.

Group photo of the global delegation from Jinju, Gyeongnam, visiting Germany at the invitation of the Dortmund cultural and arts organization.

The agreement includes: joint efforts for international cultural exchange; implementation of support programs for youth cultural exchange; development of youth-focused education and content; and the establishment of a cultural exchange platform through performing arts and music events.

Prior to the signing, in celebration of Mayor Cho Kyuil's visit, the Dortmund Youth Choir, led by conductor Jung Narae from Jinju, performed the representative Korean folk songs "Arirang" and "Hollo Arirang" in the city hall lobby, receiving enthusiastic applause and cheers from attendees.

Mayor Cho Kyuil expressed his gratitude for Dortmund's warm hospitality, stating, "Jinju is a city with a long history, rich culture, and diverse K-cultural content, while Dortmund is also a leading European city of innovation and culture. I hope that, starting with this agreement and exchanges in the private sector such as performances and youth homestays, cooperation between the two cities will expand into various fields."

Deputy Mayor Barbara Brunsing said, "I am delighted to begin cooperation and exchange in the fields of culture, arts, and youth with Jinju, a city with a long history and culture. I look forward to visiting Jinju in October to experience its outstanding cultural content firsthand. I hope that the Dortmund Choral Association's performance in Jinju and youth exchanges will further strengthen cooperation and exchange between our two cities."

The Dortmund Choral Association (Der Chorverband Dortmund e.V.) is the largest city choral association under the Chorverband NRW, comprising more than 90 choirs, over 2,400 choir members, and more than 2,000 supporting members.

Following this, the Jinju delegation visited the BayArena, home stadium of the renowned Bundesliga club Leverkusen, to tour the facilities and discuss ways to promote youth sports exchange and cooperation between Jinju and the club.

The visit to BayArena was organized to activate and strengthen international youth exchange, to directly experience Europe's advanced sports facilities and youth development systems, and to explore various cooperation measures such as expanding cultural exchange through youth exchange programs and participation in youth football camps by meeting with Leverkusen club officials.

Mayor Cho Kyuil said, "The management system and youth development programs of a world-class club like Leverkusen provide great inspiration for Jinju's youth sports policies. I hope for practical exchanges with youth sports clubs in Jinju in the future," and requested cooperation and support from the club officials.

A Leverkusen club official expressed agreement with Jinju's international youth exchange efforts and responded by suggesting that both sides work together to create a mutually beneficial model through practical discussions in the future.

Afterwards, the delegation visited the Dortmund Concert Hall, the city's representative classical performance venue, to benchmark its infrastructure for the construction of a multipurpose cultural center along the Namgang River, a project being pursued by Jinju City.

Meanwhile, Lim Sangbeom, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Germany, called Mayor Cho Kyuil during the delegation's visit to Dortmund and said, "I congratulate Jinju City and the Dortmund cultural and arts organizations on their exchange, and I will support efforts to promote cultural and sports exchanges between the two cities."