Regions
America
Seoul closely maintains various channels of communication with major cities in North and South America while strengthening global solidarity with international cities to overcome COVID-19.
Furthermore, efforts are being made to provide opportunities for international exchange through contactless methods such as webinars to continue cooperation for co-development and economic prosperity with friendship cities even amidst the pandemic.
North America
Status (7 sister & friendship cities in 2 countries)
Washington DC, Honolulu, San Francisco, Houston & Los Angeles (United States); Ottawa & Montreal (Canada)
International relations
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul to Washington DC (e.g. courtesy meeting with the mayor of Washington, meeting with US senators and congressmen, presentation at the Council on Foreign Relations)
- Participation in a flag raising ceremony with Honolulu’s 33 sister cities, and discussion between the mayors of Honolulu and Seoul (in Singapore)
- Operation of Seoul?San Francisco Sister City Committee, and goodwill visit to San Francisco by the mayor of Seoul for consultation on expanding exchange
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Houston, signing of a friendship city agreement, and bestowing of honorary Seoul citizenship
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Los Angeles, signing of a friendship city agreement, and dispatching of performance groups from Los Angeles to Seoul Friendship Festival
- Hosting of the Seoul?Ottawa exchange event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Korea?Canada relations (e.g. reproduction of ice hockey on the Imjingang River in Seoul Plaza)
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul to Montreal (e.g. participation in GSEF, discussion with the mayor of Montreal, bestowing of honorary Montreal citizenship)
- Dispatching of performance groups from Mexico City to Seoul Friendship Festival, goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul, and signing of a strategic cooperation agreement
South America
Status (7 sister & friendship cities in 5 countries)
Mexico City (Mexico); Panama City (Panama); Bogota & Medellin (Colombia); Sao Paulo & Federal District (Brazil); Buenos Aires (Argentina)
International relations
- Hosting of the XICO unveiling ceremony and long-term exhibition
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Panama City for the installation and unveiling ceremony of the Panama butterfly sculpture and signing of a friendship city agreement
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul to Colombia, courtesy meeting with the president of Colombia, meeting with the mayor of Bogota and Medellin, etc.
- Visit by the delegation from Seoul and dispatching of the Seoul Youth Gugak Orchestra to Sao Paulo commemorating the 40th anniversary of sisterhood
- Goodwill visit by the governor of Brasilia to Seoul and signing of a friendship city agreement
- Visit by the delegation from Seoul to Buenos Aires (e.g. participation in the U20 Annual Meeting, discussion with the mayor of Buenos Aires)
- Dispatching of performance groups from Mexico City to Seoul Friendship Festival, goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul, and signing of a strategic cooperation agreement
Future plans
- Maintaining international exchange with sister and friendship cities in the Americas, investing in new economic hubs in the south, and strengthening economic diplomacy
- Strengthening solidarity with sister and friendship cities in Central and South America, and strengthening the role of bridging overseas Koreans with export companies
Europe
Seoul is facilitating mutual development in various sectors, including administration, culture and human resources, through expanded exchange with major cities in Europe.
Status (21 sister & friendship cities in 16 countries)
Berlin (Germany); Zurich (Switzerland); Athens (Greece); Ankara & Istanbul (Turkey); Amsterdam (Netherlands); Brussels (Belgium); London (United Kingdom); Paris (France); Barcelona & Bilbao (Spain); Rome, Milan & Lombardy (Italy); Warsaw (Poland); Budapest (Hungary); Bucharest (Romania); Belgrade (Serbia); Odense & Copenhagen (Denmark); Tallinn (Estonia)
International relations
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul to Berlin, signing of a friendship agreement, and discussions on mutual exchange and cooperation
- Invitation performance by the German military band in Seoul Plaza commemorating the 30th anniversary of the unification of Germany
- Speech by the mayor of Seoul in Berlin Questions 2021
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul to Zurich and signing of a friendship agreement
- Visit by the governor of Zurich commemorating the hosting of ‘Zurich Meets Seoul’
- Visit by the mayor of Athens and signing of a friendship agreement
- Creation of Korea Park in Ankara and Ankara Park and Ankara House in Yeouido, Seoul commemorating Seoul?Ankara friendship
- Goodwill visit by Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an
- Invitational visit by the mayor of Ankara for participation in Seoul Mayors’ Forum on Climate Change
- Dispatching of performance groups from Ankara and Istanbul to Seoul Friendship Festival
- Invitational visit by the mayor of Istanbul for participation in PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics
- State guest visit by Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte for honorary Seoul citizenship, and donation of public bicycles
- Official visit by Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium for honorary Seoul citizenship and signing of a friendship city agreement between Seoul and Brussels
- Visit by the King of Belgium for honorary Seoul citizenship, and meeting between the mayor of Seoul and the prime minister of Brussels
- Visit by the mayor of Seoul to London, signing of a friendship cooperation agreement, practical discussion on startups for innovative air quality improvement, etc.
- Keynote address by the mayor of London at the CAC Global Summit hosted by Seoul
- Visit by former UK Prime Minister Theresa May for a briefing on Seoul’s COVID-19 response strategies and meeting with the director-general of policy planning
- Joint creation of Seoul Park in Paris and Paris Park in Seoul commemorating the 100th anniversary of Korea?France friendship
- Visit by the mayor of Paris for honorary Seoul citizenship, and visit by the mayor of Seoul to Paris for honorary Parisian medal award
- Signing of MOU between Seoul and Barcelona, and participation by Barcelona in the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Seoul to Rome, Milano and Lombardy, and discussions on strengthening mutual cooperation
- Joint hosting of a marathon commemorating the 100th anniversary of Poland’s independence and viewer lighting ceremony
- Warsaw’s participation in the Taegeuk-symbol lighting ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the March First Independence Movement
- Goodwill visit by the delegation from Seoul to Budapest and construction of the statue of Ahn Eak-tai in the garden of Eotvos Lorand University
- Visit by the Budapest director of culture and education and inspection of Seoul’s excellent policies
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Belgrade and signing of friendship city agreement, discussion on expanding policy exchange
- Visit by the delegation from Seoul and dispatching of the Seoul Youth Gugak Orchestra to Belgrade commemorating the 30th anniversary of relations
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Tallinn, participation in the Seoul Smart City Summit, and bestowing of honorary Seoul citizenship
- Invitational participation by deputy mayor of Kyiv in the Seoul International Forum on Urban Policy and discussion on policy cooperation
- Urban analysis on Kyiv and smart city master plan establishment project (with SMG & SUSA)
- Bestowing of honorary Seoul citizenship to various European state guests
- Joachim Gauck (Germany), Frank-Walter Steinmeier (France), Andrzej Duda (Poland), Traian B?sescu (Romania), Kersti Kaljulaid (Estonia), Frederik Andre Henrik Christian and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson (Denmark), Stefan Lofven (Sweden), King Phillip (Belgium), Felipe VI and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano (Spain), Mark Rutte (Netherlands), Princess Astrid (Belgium), etc.
Future plans
- Tailored policy exchange with major friendship cities in Europe and strengthening networks through expanded exchange of human resources
- Exchange on supernational urban issues such as climate change and infectious diseases, and carrying out joint efforts
- Support for corporate activities and improving citizens’ quality of life through exchange and cooperation in various areas including economic, cultural, and digital diplomacy
Africa
Seoul is strategically expanding exchange and cooperation with major cities in Africa which have great developmental potential and are abundant in natural resources to increase Seoul’s international recognition and sharing Seoul’s excellent policies.
Status (5 sister & friendship cities in 5 countries)
Cairo (Egypt); Addis Ababa (Ethiopia); Maputo (Mozambique); Tshwane (South Africa); Kampala (Uganda)
International relations
- Participation of performance groups from Cairo and Maputo in Seoul Friendship Festival
- Goodwill visit by the minister of Kampala, and participation in the UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism and Seoul Digital Summit
- Participation by 13 African countries in Seoul Mayors’ Forum on Climate Change
- Tevragh-Zeina (Mauritania); Marrakesh & Chefchaouen (Morocco); Bakut (Cameroon); Curepipe (Mauritius); Chefchaouen & Marrakesh (Morocco); Quelimane (Mozambique); Mbombela (South Africa); Dar es Salaam (Tanzania); Entebbe (Uganda); Accra (Ghana); Kampala (Uganda)
- Participation by 4 African countries in the International Forum on Transforming Cities for Decent Work
- Johannesburg (South Africa); Chefchaouen (Morocco); Dakar (Senegal); Bamako (Mali)
- Spreading and promoting Seoul’s excellent policies through public official exchange
- Capacity-building training and sharing of Seoul’s excellent policies to a delegation from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
- Consultation by Seoul Urban Solutions Agency (SUSA) for e-governance to Kampala (Uganda)
- Hosting of joint workshop between Seoul?Africa Development Bank (AfDB), and goodwill tour and lecture on Seoul’s excellent policies for big data, transportation, etc.
Future plans
- Discovering practical and continuous exchange and cooperation between cities, and facilitating mutual exchange of human resources
- Exchanging and cooperating in the urban planning sector, such as sanitation, road construction, and industrial infrastructure
- Solving environmental problems and transferring experiences
- Cooperating in disaster management and establishing information systems
- Sharing Seoul’s experience in e-governance, cultural exchange and dispatching of traditional cultural performance groups
Asia
Asia Japan and Mongolia, ASEAN, Southwest Asia, Middle East, Oceania, Russia and Central Asia, China
| Japan and Mongolia
|
Status: Tokyo & Hokkaido (Japan); Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia)
International relations
- Participation in Tokyo Global Partners Seminar
- Hosting of Korea?Japan Youth Forum commemorating the 30th anniversary of Tokyo?Seoul friendship
- Awarding and exchanging of athletes between the Seoul International Marathon and Hokkaido Marathon
- Participation in the Northeast Asia Market Forum (Ulaanbaatar)
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| ASEAN
|
Status: Jakarta & Bandung (Indonesia); Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam); Bangkok (Thailand); Vientiane (Laos)
International relations
- Goodwill visit by the president of Indonesia for honorary Seoul citizenship
- Goodwill visit by the prime minister of Vietnam and chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi
- Celebration of Hanoi?Seoul Day, and strengthened exchange and cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
- Joint hosting of Thai Festival by Seoul and Thailand embassies
- Participation in Bangkok Sister City Week and dispatching of Seoul B-boy groups
- Dispatching of performance groups from Seoul to JIFF in Jakarta commemorating Seoul?Jakarta relations
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| Southwest Asia
|
Status: Colombo (Sri Lanka); Kathmandu (Nepal); Delhi (India)
International relations
- Goodwill visit by the prime minister of Delhi (India)
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Colombo (Sri Lanka) for honorary Seoul citizenship
- Invitational training for public workers from Delhi (India)
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| Middle East
|
Status: Tehran (Iran); Muscat (Oman); Tel Aviv (Israel)
International relations
- Goodwill visit by the president of Israel and vice mayor of Tel Aviv
- Video call between the mayors of Seoul and Tehran in relation to COVID-19 response
- Dispatching of performance groups from Seoul to the Muscat Festival
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| Oceania
|
Status: New South Wales (Australia); Wellington (New Zealand)
International relations
- Goodwill visit by NSW Prime Minister for honorary Seoul citizenship
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Wellington for participation in the International Forum on Transforming Cities for Decent Work
- Participation by the delegation from Seoul in Sidney City Talk
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| Russia and Central Asia
|
Status: Moscow (Russia); Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan); Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
International relations
- Participation in the CAC Global Summit by the mayor of Moscow (Russia) and vice-mayor of Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
- Goodwill visit by the mayor of Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan)
- Hosting of the Central Asian Spring Festival (Nowruz) in Seoul
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| China
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Status: Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Tianjin, Shanghai, Sichuan, Chongqing
International relations
- Goodwill visit by the mayor and secretaries of Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, etc.
- Operation of the Seoul?Beijing Integrated Committee and participation in the general meeting
- Supporting invitational training for public officials from Chinese regional governments
- Hosting of Seoul?China Day
- Dispatching of performance groups from Seoul to Beijing and Tianjin
|
Future plans
- Securing foundations for city diplomacy through friendship agreements with major Asian cities
- Promoting Seoul’s policies through sharing of policies and exchange of human resources with major Asian cities
- Contributing to enhancing multicultural awareness through hosting continuous cultural events with major Asian cities