Why does Yongin's mayor announce overseas trips only after leaving for the airport?

Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sang-il has a habit of releasing press materials about his overseas trips only after he has already left for the airport — never in advance. During his first term under the eighth round of local elections, the practice drew criticism after he departed abroad without notice, prompting news reports asking, "Where did the mayor go?"

Lee is visiting Da Nang, Vietnam, from Tuesday through Saturday at the official invitation of the city, with which Yongin has a friendship agreement.

Lee, along with Yongin City Council Speaker Jang Jeong-soon, Administrative Affairs Committee Chair Shin Na-yeon and council member Kang Yeong-ung, will call on the Republic of Korea Consulate General in Da Nang immediately upon arrival Tuesday, meeting Consul General Han Jeong-il and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) Da Nang Trade Center Director Jo Ju-yeon.

On Wednesday morning, Lee will meet Nguyen Dinh Vinh, chairman of the Da Nang Fatherland Front Committee, to discuss community self-governance and related issues between the two cities.

That afternoon, the delegation will visit FPT Group, Vietnam's largest information and communications technology company. Lee plans to tour FPT's high-tech and semiconductor research and development center inside Da Nang's second software park to examine Vietnam's semiconductor industry ecosystem.

On Thursday morning, Lee will visit the Yongin Public Digital Library in Quang Phuoc District, Da Nang, to check on its operations. The facility covers 1,686 square meters and was built during Lee's first term as an Official Development Assistance project within the International Lotus Village welfare complex run by a nonprofit in Quang Phuoc District.

The delegation will then move to the Quang Phuoc District Office for a meeting with district officials, including Party Secretary Bui Ngoc An and People's Committee Chairman Huynh Ngoc Ba. Lee intends to discuss dispatching youth volunteers under the K-Warm Village Project, which sends Yongin youth volunteers to Vietnam to promote Korean culture and carry out local service activities.

On Friday, Lee will visit Da Nang City Hall for talks with People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Manh Hung, city party officials and Quang Phuoc District representatives, and will attend a welcoming dinner for the principal guests of the Korea-Vietnam Festival.

That afternoon, Lee will speak at the Meet Korea in Da Nang conference at the Furama Hotel, presenting on the theme "AI — A New Driver of Growth and Development."

After his presentation, Lee will attend the fifth Korea-Vietnam Festival at Donghae Park in Da Nang, encouraging the city's promotional booth team and joining People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Manh Hung at the opening ceremony. Da Nang has held the Korea-Vietnam Festival annually since 2022 to promote cultural exchange between the two countries.

Lee will wrap up his schedule with the fifth Korea-Vietnam Festival and depart for home on Saturday.