Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is pursuing a series of international exchanges throughout September, spanning healthcare, digital administration and regional development.
Partner regions include Japan, Canada, Vietnam and the Philippines.
With Japan's Nagano Prefecture, the province will mark the 10th anniversary of their friendship exchange, while a first official meeting with Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City is planned following the city's administrative reorganization that merged it with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces.
Kim Yeong-gyun, Gangwon Province's director of international cooperation, said Monday that "this September relay of exchanges will serve as an opportunity to translate cooperation into tangible results in areas such as healthcare, digital administration and regional development," adding that the province would continue to deliver international cooperation outcomes that residents can feel directly.
Exchanges with Canada's Alberta Province — which shares with Gangwon the distinction of being a mountainous region home to the Rocky Mountains — will be broadened to cover advanced industries and other areas.
On Sept. 8, Alberta's health minister, vice minister and five other officials will visit Wonju Medical Center to share information on the province's public healthcare institutions and policies for improving medical access in underserved areas.
On Sept. 22, the Wonju Medical Device Industry Promotion Institute will host the "Gangwon-Alberta Future Industry Cooperation Roundtable 2026."
Alberta Deputy Minister Dale McFee and a delegation of vice ministers covering international affairs, technology innovation and health are expected to attend. The event will feature a policy exchange on Gangwon's AI healthcare, medical digital transformation and digital-twin-based medical innovation initiatives, along with a session introducing local companies seeking to enter the Canadian market. The two regions have held annual meetings since 2024 to share frameworks for developing key industries such as biotech and hydrogen and to discuss mutual cooperation.
From Sept. 27 to Oct. 14, the International Urban Training Center will run an international training program on regional development in the Philippines' Mindanao region for 15 civil servants and experts from the area.
Organized in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the program will combine classroom instruction and field visits centered on Gangwon's model of sustainable regional development. Participants will also tour local companies and institutions to observe real-world policy implementation firsthand.
Security risks from armed groups in Mindanao have fallen sharply in recent years, and the region has been drawing a growing number of adventure travelers.
A Gangwon Province delegation will attend the "Ho Chi Minh City Friendship Dialogue 2026," held in Ho Chi Minh City from Sept. 10 to 12. Ho Chi Minh City is a partner city with which Gangwon maintains a friendship exchange relationship.
The event marks the first international gathering hosted by the newly consolidated Ho Chi Minh City since it was reorganized into a megacity of about 14 million people following Vietnam's administrative restructuring on July 1, 2025, which merged it with neighboring provinces. Held under the theme "Urban Diplomacy: A Driving Force for Innovation and Sustainable Development," the forum will bring together more than 600 local government representatives from 33 countries.
Gangwon Province will deliver a presentation on the importance of subnational diplomacy and expanding practical cooperation, hold bilateral talks with Ho Chi Minh City to discuss ways to strengthen exchanges, and visit the province's Vietnam overseas office to review local support measures.
From Tuesday through Thursday, Gangwon will receive a delegation from Japan's Nagano Prefecture to review the results of cooperation projects in areas including forestry and semiconductors, and to discuss the direction of future collaboration.
Led by the head of Nagano Prefecture's Planning and Promotion Department, the visiting delegation will hold a roundtable on best practices in digital administration and working-level consultations related to anniversary ceremonies, including at the Smart Gangwon Integrated Support Center, while also visiting major institutions and universities in the province to broaden the foundation for exchange.
abc@heraldcorp.com
