On July 2, Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, met with Koichi Mizushima, Japanese Ambassador to Korea, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office to discuss ways to cooperate for a future-oriented relationship between Korea and Japan.
This meeting was arranged to strengthen mutual cooperation in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. The two sides exchanged views on various areas, including cooperative projects between Gyeonggi Province and Japanese local governments, as well as in fields such as the economy and culture.
Governor Kim stated, "I believe that President Lee Jaemyung and the Japanese Prime Minister paved the way for the continuation and development of good relations when they met at the recent multilateral summit. As Gyeonggi Province is the center of Korea's economy and industry, I hope to see even more active expansion in all areas, including economic cooperation with Japan, people-to-people exchanges, investment, and cultural exchange."
Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province (left), warmly shakes hands with Koichi Mizushima, Japanese Ambassador to Korea, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Office on the 2nd. Provided by Gyeonggi Province
He added, "The current international situation is very tense, and with various changes in the global economic environment, including tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, I believe there are many areas where Korea and Japan can cooperate. In this regard, I hope the new administration, the Japanese government, Gyeonggi Province, and Japan can work closely together to overcome difficult situations."
Koichi Mizushima, Japanese Ambassador to Korea, responded, "I believe Korea is a neighboring country with which we must cooperate as a partner on various issues in the international community. In Gyeonggi Province, more than 500 Japanese companies have offices or factories, so I think it is important to deepen exchanges both at the governmental and local government levels."
Gyeonggi Province established a friendship agreement with Kanagawa Prefecture in 1990, the first such agreement in the Asian region. Since then, it signed a friendship cooperation agreement with Aichi Prefecture in 2015, and in 2023, opened the Gyeonggi Business Center in Tokyo in the form of a digital office.
On July 16, Yuji Kuroiwa, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, is scheduled to visit Gyeonggi Province to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the friendship agreement.
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