Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young Vows Full Commitment to Hosting the 2027 Korea-Central Asia Local Government Cooperation Forum in Gyeongju

On September 11, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young attended the “Korea-Uzbekistan Local Government Cooperation Forum” held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul and officially announced Gyeongju’s intent to host the 4th Korea-Central Asia Local Government Cooperation Forum in 2027.

The forum, co-hosted by the Governors Association of Korea and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Korea, was attended by over 150 influential figures from both countries, including Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yoon-cheol, Park Chan-dae, Chairman of the Governors Association of Korea, and Jamshid Khojaev, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. The participants discussed cooperation strategies between local governments, focusing on the economy, culture, and tourism sectors.

A view of Gyeongju City Hall

In his welcoming remarks, Mayor Joo highlighted the achievements accumulated over the past decade since Gyeongju and Samarkand, Uzbekistan, signed a sister city agreement in 2013, including the development of immersive content for the Afrasiab Palace murals and civil servant training programs.

He also noted that the scope of cooperation has recently expanded, such as with the visit of the Kashkadarya Province economic delegation to Gyeongju in August.

Based on Gyeongju’s experience hosting a successful APEC summit and its close relationship with Samarkand, the city is determined to host the 4th forum in Gyeongju following the Samarkand forum this November, with the goal of becoming a global hub for exchange and cooperation between Korea and Central Asia.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.