North Gyeongsang governor meets Nara prefectural governor to expand regional ties

North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo met with Nara Prefecture Governor Yamashita Makoto at the provincial office Monday to discuss ways to expand friendly cooperation between the two regions.

The visit aimed to build on the goodwill generated by the South Korea-Japan summit held in Andong last May and carry that momentum into exchanges and cooperation at the local government level.

During the meeting, the two governors discussed boosting tourism through joint development of cultural and tourism content, expanding urban regeneration and economic exchanges, and strengthening cooperative networks among East Asian local governments.

"We will broaden the scope of cooperation between our two regions — from culture and tourism to AI, digital tourism and other future industries — to create a successful new model of Korea-Japan cooperation led by local governments," Lee said.

Yamashita said North Gyeongsang Province is "a hub of history and culture representing Korea and a region leading future industries," adding that he hopes the two sides will "expand substantive cooperation based on their rich cultural heritage and advanced industrial capabilities, contributing to the shared development and mutual prosperity of East Asia."