Mayor Oh Meets with Milan Mayor and Lombardy Governor
Supporting Korean Designers' Entry into Europe and Expanding K-Beauty
Broadening Cooperation from Economy and Investment to Culture and the Arts
On the 4th (local time), Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon met with the Mayor of Milan and the Governor of Lombardy, where he shared the global expansion strategy for K-fashion and proposed cooperation to support Korean designers' entry into the European market.
During a meeting with Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala at Milan City Hall that morning, Mayor Oh discussed expanding cooperation in the fields of fashion and design, enhancing cultural and artistic exchanges, and boosting tourism and city branding. Both leaders agreed to continuously broaden new avenues of cooperation between the two cities.
On the 3rd (local time), Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon attended the "2025 World Cities Summit Mayors Forum" held in Vienna, Austria, where he introduced Seoul's public housing policies, including the long-term rental housing "Mirinaejip" aimed at addressing low birth rates and housing issues. Seoul City
Since signing a friendship city agreement in 2007, Seoul and Milan have actively collaborated in the areas of economy, culture, fashion, and design. With this meeting, Seoul plans to accelerate the global expansion of the K-beauty and fashion industries through proactive marketing targeting the European market, including Milan. In particular, Mayor Oh proposed not only to support domestic brands participating in Seoul Fashion Week to enter Milan, but also to invite brands from Milan Fashion Week to Seoul Fashion Week, introducing global brands and establishing a sustainable partnership.
In addition, Seoul will promote itself as Asia's leading fashion and beauty hub by hosting "SEOULCON," an event that brings together global influencers and creators. Through this, the city aims to showcase global fashion and beauty trends to the world and expand exchange and cooperation programs among creators.
Mayor Oh also met with Governor Attilio Fontana at the Lombardy regional government building. Lombardy is a key economic hub in Europe, leading innovation in various fields such as finance, design, fashion, and biotechnology, and accounts for more than 20% of Italy's GDP.
Seoul renewed its friendship city agreement with Lombardy, promising even more active exchanges and cooperation. Since signing their friendship city agreement in 2017, Seoul and Lombardy have maintained exchanges in various fields, including personnel and policy. Although the agreement expired in 2020 and renewal was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Oh's visit has allowed the partnership to continue.
The two cities strengthened the previous agreement, which had focused on economic cooperation, by adding provisions related to culture, including cultural performances, cultural heritage, traditional culture, visual media, creative and design industries, and tourism. Seoul plans to promote cooperation with Lombardy in the fields of culture and the arts, revitalize citizen exchanges through cultural events, and facilitate the sharing of achievements between talents and companies in the design, fashion, and content industries.
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