Chuncheon, in Gangwon Province, and Hofu, Japan, have agreed to deepen their sister-city partnership on the occasion of its 35th anniversary by expanding exchanges that directly involve children and young people as the next generation of ties between the two cities.
Hofu is a mid-sized city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, located at the western gateway of Honshu — the first of Japan's four main islands reached from Korea. Situated at the entrance to the Seto Inland Sea, which served as a historic corridor for Korea-Japan exchange, the port city was once a waypoint for the Joseon Tongsinsa diplomatic missions. Kyushu lies close to its southwest.
Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han met with Hofu Mayor Ikeda Yutaka at Hofu City Hall on Saturday to review progress since the two cities resumed official exchanges and to discuss ways to further expand cooperation.
The meeting came after Ikeda visited Chuncheon last October — marking the 50th anniversary of the Korea-Japan Friendly Athletics Exchange Meet — and the two cities formally restored official ties. Yuk's return visit to Hofu followed from that renewed relationship.
The visit coincided with celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of Hofu's establishment as a city.
Since restoring official exchanges, the two cities have been rebuilding their relationship through reciprocal delegation visits, a children's cultural festival and an international children's art exchange exhibition.
The two mayors agreed to maintain regular mutual visits by children and young people and to expand citizen-led exchanges in culture, arts and sports. They also agreed to actively promote each other's cities for tourism and to establish a foundation for ongoing communication between working-level departments and civic organizations in both cities.
Yuk invoked the spirit of "baengnyeonjiu" — a pledge the two cities exchanged when they resumed exchanges — expressing his intention to build on that bond of friendship.
An artwork embodying "baengnyeonjiu," meaning a deep friendship that endures for a hundred years, is currently on display at both Chuncheon City Hall and Hofu City Hall.
The commitment made last year as a symbol of the exchange resumption has since taken shape through reciprocal delegation visits and exchanges in children's programs and the arts.
"Building on the friendship we have cultivated over the past 35 years, we will expand exchanges in which citizens — including children, young people, and those working in culture and the arts — can participate directly, so that Chuncheon and Hofu can grow together as sister cities for the next 50 and 100 years," Yuk said.
Ikeda said visiting Chuncheon last year and receiving a warm welcome gave him confidence that the two cities could rekindle their long friendship. "I still think about the dakgalbi I had in Chuncheon last year," he said, using the Korean term for spicy stir-fried chicken. "On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of our sister-city agreement, I will work closely with Chuncheon to ensure that citizens — including children, young people, and those in culture and the arts — can visit each other's cities more often." He added that he hoped the two cities would share a bond like the baengnyeonjiu artwork — one where, even a hundred years from now, people could look back at those words and still find reason to talk.
Yuk also attended the 34th Korea-Japan Cultural and Arts Exchange Exhibition and joined a welcome dinner hosted by Hofu city and the Korea-Japan Friendship Association, strengthening ties with cultural figures and civic exchange representatives from both cities.
Chuncheon and Hofu first forged a connection through the Korea-Japan Friendly Athletics Exchange Meet in 1975 and formalized their sister-city relationship in October 1991. Since then, the two cities have maintained exchanges across a wide range of fields, including youth programs, culture and the arts, sports and parliamentary ties.
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