By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

Goyang Special City (Mayor Lee Dong-hwan) held an international cooperation promotion meeting inviting ambassadors from 32 countries at KINTEX on April 27.

At the event, the ambassadors discussed ways to expand the number of countries participating in the Goyang International Flower Expo, revitalize coffee industry and cultural exchanges, and promote and cooperate on the designation of a free economic zone.

Mayor Lee Dong-hwan welcomed and thanked the ambassadors from 32 countries, saying, “Today's world is forming a global village where boundaries between countries are meaningless, and the importance of cooperation between governments and cities is increasing more than ever.” 

He added, “By designating an economic free zone and creating a high-tech strategic industry bio specialty complex, we will create a corporate ecosystem where countries can cooperate with each other, and we will gather wisdom to help countries that need Goyang's support.”

In response, H.E. Pg Hjh Nooriyah PLW Pg Hj Yussof, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam, who represented the ambassadors as a senior ambassador, said, “Thank you for providing a place to see flowers, nature, and the lake park,” and said, “Let's build international cooperation and solidarity for the future era,” creating a warm atmosphere.

The ambassadors of the participating countries were highly interested in and actively discussed the city's excellent infrastructure, geographical and environmental location, and the vision of the free economic zone through the introduction of Goyang Special City and the promotion of the free economic zone.

The Self-Sufficient City Realization Bureau presented the annual business promotion plan of the Goyang Free Economic Zone, which is envisioned as a “new G-platform for innovation and growth,” and offered stable support for business activities to the participating countries.

The Agricultural Technology Center requested to expand participation in the flower fair and presented the fostering of the advanced food technology (foodtech) industry that combines the flower industry, coffee industry, and food industry, stressing that it hopes to become an all-in-one coffee city through various collaborations with coffee belt countries.

Afterward, the ambassadors visited the 2024 Goyang International Flower Expo and pledged to lead the event to a wider and larger global scale through cooperation between governments and cities.

“We hope that today's meeting will serve as the beginning of a collaborative network between Goyang Special City, which has been selected as one of the world's top five cities for building a better world, and institutions, organizations, and companies from participating countries,” said Mayor Lee Dong-hwan.

The city expects the event to help foster the convergence of the flower and coffee industries through mutual cooperation as the coffee belt countries are the world's major flower producers, and to attract investment through trusting relationships, which will help the final designation of the free economic zone in the second half of the year.