Reporter Kayla Lee

The Gyeonggi Provincial Council visited Mongolia's Darkhan-Uul Provincial Council, a friendship region, on July 7 and agreed to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish friendly relations between the two councils and make mutual efforts to enhance the relationship.

The visit by the Gyeonggi Provincial Council delegation was in response to the request from the Darkhan-Uul Provincial Council, which had visited the Gyeonggi Provincial Council in April and May. Since the beginning of this year, both sides have been engaged in practical consultations to resume temporarily suspended international exchanges due to COVID-19 and to promote friendly relations.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Council announced that with the renewal of the MOU, both sides have provided an opportunity for substantive exchange programs beyond the existing mutual visits by specifying measures and processes for promoting and implementing cooperative projects between the two regions.

Furthermore, during the meeting held on this day, both sides had in-depth discussions on future joint exchange events, attracting international investment, smart classrooms, and ODA projects such as donating decommissioned fire trucks (ambulances), among other cooperation measures.

Chairman Yeom Jong-hyun expressed, "By renewing the MOU between the Gyeonggi Provincial Council and the Darkhan-Uul Provincial Council on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of our exchange, we have demonstrated the Gyeonggi Provincial Council's determination to further activate international exchanges." 

He added, "Taking this opportunity of renewing the MOU, we will review the current status of international exchanges between the Gyeonggi Provincial Council and the sister region and make multifaceted efforts for further development."

The visit to Mongolia, which took place from July 6 to 10, included visits to the Darkhan-Uul Provincial Council, the Korean Embassy in Mongolia, and related institutions in Darkhan-Uul Province (such as the Elderly Development Center and Steel Industry Factory), where discussions were held to explore cooperative measures at the local council level.

Meanwhile, this year, the Gyeonggi Provincial Council has officially received delegates from Mongolia's Darkhan-Uul Provincial Council, as well as Vietnam, Germany, Switzerland, and other representative regions, and is making efforts to resume successful international exchanges by promoting mutual visits among 11 sister regions in 7 countries.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Council delegation included Chairman Yeom Jong-hyun, as well as Assembly Members Hwang Jin-hee (The Democratic Party, Bucheon 4th district), Yoon Tae-gil (The People's Power Party, Hanam 1st district), Kim Jae-hoon (The People Power Party, Anyang 4th district), Jo Sung-hwan (The Democratic Party, Paju 2nd district), Park Jin-young (The Democratic Party, Hwaseong 8th district), and Oh Jun-hwan (The People Power Party, Goyang 9th district).