Mayors of Seoul and Beijing agree to strengthen cooperation

Seoul has agreed to expand opportunities to share exemplary policies with Beijing while strengthening cooperation in areas such as the economy, tourism, and cultural exchanges.

According to the Seoul metropolitan government, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Beijing Mayor Yin Yong reached this agreement during a meeting at the Beijing People's Government Building on Tuesday. This was the first meeting between the mayors of Seoul and Beijing in six years, with the last one taking place in 2018.

The two mayors committed to working together to address various challenges facing their cities and to more actively promote exchanges between civil servants to enhance the sharing of effective policies. They particularly emphasized the importance of increasing exchanges between youth and young adults, aiming to foster a deeper understanding of each other’s culture and social atmosphere among the future generations of both countries.

Mayor Oh noted that while it took time to restore relations after COVID-19, he visited Beijing because he believed that strengthening cooperative ties between the two cities would benefit citizens' lives. He emphasized the necessity of cultural and human exchanges to enhance cooperation and friendship between Seoul and Beijing, inviting Mayor Yin to visit Seoul. In response, Mayor Yin expressed that Mayor Oh's visit would improve city relations and support corporate activities, civic exchanges, and overall Korea-China relations. He added that he would consider visiting Seoul at an appropriate time. Mayor Yin, at 55, is the youngest governor-level official among China's 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions and is a financial expert who previously served as vice president of the People’s Bank of China.

Seoul and Beijing signed a friendship agreement in 1992, following the establishment of South Korea-China diplomatic relations, and have maintained active exchanges since then. In 2013, they launched the ‘Seoul-Beijing Integration Committee,’ with the two mayors serving as honorary chairmen.

Mayor Oh also highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation with Japan, noting the positive relations that previously existed among Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo. He expressed hope for restoring cooperation among these three cities, historically referred to as 'BESETO,' an acronym for their English initials.


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