Reporter Kayla Lee

The Namyangju City delegation, composed of officials from Namyangju City and members of the city council, arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on July 10 to carry out an official visit and engage in scheduled activities.

According to the Namyangju City on July 12, Namyangju City officials had discussions with key figures such as Mayor Dalgorsuren Somiya Bazar of Ulaanbaatar City, and other relevant officials over a span of two days starting from July 10, regarding international exchange matters that the two cities will pursue in the future.

Prior to this, the delegation from Namyangju City, consisting of Mayor Ju Kwang-deok, city officials, and city council members, had visited Ulaanbaatar as invited guests representing a city with an international friendship relationship.

Upon their arrival in Ulaanbaatar on July 10, the Namyangju City delegation immediately held a meeting with Jun Doo-ee, the Deputy Mayor of Ulaanbaatar. Bat-Ulzi Bat-Erdene, the Mongolian Minister of Environment and Tourism, also attended the meeting to welcome the visit of the Namyangju City delegation.

Deputy Mayor Jun Doo-ee expressed his gratitude, saying, "I would like to thank Mayor Ju Kwang-deok and Chairman Lee Sang-gi for taking the time out of their busy schedules to personally attend the Naadam Festival. I hope you enjoy the Naadam Festival, which is Mongolia's largest festival, along with the vast nature of Mongolia."

Minister Bat-Ulzi Bat-Erdene stated, "Ulaanbaatar is gaining recognition as a landmark in Central Asia, and as 2023 has been designated as the Year of Mongolia International Visits, we request Namyangju City's continued interest and promotion."

In response, Mayor Ju Kwang-deok of Namyangju City remarked, "Deputy Mayor Jun Doo-ee's youthful passion and carefulness shine through, and I look forward to his leadership and the future development of the city. I hope you will visit Namyangju City in the future and actively engage in exchanges."

On July 11, the Namyangju City delegation attended the opening ceremony of the Naadam Festival and later met with Mayor Dalgorsuren Somiya Bazar of the Ulaanbaatar City to discuss the direction of cultural and youth exchanges between the two cities.

Mayor Ju Kwang-deok expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for inviting us to the Naadam Festival, which is Mongolia's representative festival and garners great interest from people around the world. The opening ceremony was very impressive, with a blend of youthful energy and the rich history and traditions of Mongolia."

He continued, "Although we have not been able to continue exchanges in various fields due to various reasons in the past, I would like to expand exchanges in many areas, starting with youth exchanges. We express our willingness to expand exchanges between our two cities."

In response, Mayor Somiya Bazar stated, "As I have had more opportunities to meet with Korean delegations recently, my interest in Korea has grown. I have a strong desire to further develop Ulaanbaatar by expanding exchanges in various fields such as economy, healthcare, welfare, following youth exchanges."

On July 12, Namyangju City officials visited the Dasan Forest, Namyangju Street, and the Cultural Center, which were previously carried out by the city.

Currently, Namyangju City has established sister city and friendship exchange relationships with 10 foreign cities and 7 domestic cities. With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, they plan to move away from online exchanges and actively pursue various domestic and international exchange projects in the second half of the year.