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SUWON, KOREA – Premier Gordon Campbell today signed a sister province agreement with Governor Moon-Soo Kim of the Korean province of Gyeonggi that will see the two jurisdictions pursue economic and cultural partnerships and encourage twinning between their municipalities. Governor Kim also conferred honorary citizenship of Gyeonggi Province upon Premier Campbell.
“British Columbia and Gyeonggi share many common interests and this new bond
between our provinces will bring new business and cultural opportunities,”
Premier Campbell said. “I thank Governor Kim for his key role in advancing the
relationship between our provinces, and I look forward to working with him to
promote co-operation on shared priorities such as green industries,
biotechnology, education, connections between our ports and our
communities. I also want to thank Governor Kim for making me an honorary
citizen of his great province.”
“Gyeonggi’s
work to establish Pyeongtaek Port as a transportation and shipping hub in
Northeast Asia aligns perfectly with British Columbia’s Pacific Gateway
strategy, and our enhanced partnership will allow us to share information and
experiences as well as increase investment and trade,” Governor Kim said.
“Premier Campbell has dramatically raised British Columbia’s profile in the
Asia Pacific, and I look forward to a long and prosperous partnership between
our provinces.”
The honorary
citizenship is presented in exceptional cases to non-residents of Gyeonggi
Province; it acknowledges the recipient’s very special and considerable
contributions to the province and its residents. Honorary citizenship was
last bestowed upon a regional leader in 2003, to the Honorable Jordi Pujol, at
the time the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Spain. The presentation
to Premier Campbell is the first conferral of 2008. It was presented in
2007 to Lt. Gen. Garry R. Trexler, Deputy Commander, United Nations
Command; Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces Korea.
The twinning agreement expands on an existing
economic cooperation agreement between the two provinces into areas such as education;
commerce, trade and investment; science and technology; culture and art;
tourism; urban development; and environmental conservation and natural resource
development. Expanding and
strengthening the B.C.-Gyeonggi relationship to a full sister-province
agreement and encourage a twinning network in South Korea with B.C.
municipalities and transportation/gateway stakeholders was a central
recommendation of the Korea Market Advisory Group report, released in June
2007. Gyeonggi is B.C.’s second sister province, joining Guangdong,
China, which twinned with British Columbia in 1995.
“I am extremely pleased to see how quickly and decisively the Province has acted on the recommendations of the Korea Market Advisory Group report,” said Professor Tae Oum, Korea Market Advisory Group chair. “South Korea is an important gateway to the entire Asian region. Expanding the relationship with Gyeonggi shows British Columbia’s commitment to enhancing building trade and investment, education, research and development.”
Premier Campbell and Governor Kim signed the twinning agreement at Suwon’s distinctive Hwaseong fortress. Located 30 kilometres south of Seoul, the fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage site whose innovative construction in the 18th-century combined elements of eastern and western architecture.
Gyeonggi Province is located in northwest South
Korea, surrounding the national capital of Seoul and bordering the
demilitarized zone with North Korea. With 22
per cent of South Korea’s total population and 10 per cent of the total land
area, Gyeonggi is the source of one-third of South Korea’s companies,
workforce, and manufacturing, including such major corporations as Samsung, LG,
and Hyundai-Kia.
Gyeonggi is home to a South Korean naval base, some
of the country’s largest shipbuilding facilities, and two seaports: Incheon and
Pyeongtaek. Pyeongtaek Port, open since 1986, is one of Korea’s fastest growing
shipping facilities, and is forecast to handle 2 million TEU by 2011.
Gyeonggi is South Korea’s most populous
province with more than 11 million people and growing at a rate of three per
cent – or approximately 333,000 people annually – over the past five years.
Combined with the capital region, the Gyeonggi-Seoul-Incheon metropolitan area
is home to approximately half of South Korea’s total population of 49 million.
To download photos from Premier Campbell’s mission to South Korea and China, go to www.gov.bc.ca/KoreaChina2008.
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Communications Director Office of the Premier 250 387-6605 |
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