Sejong Special Self-Governing City, governed by Mayor Choi Min-ho, is seeking ways to cooperate with Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where the economy is rapidly growing in the fields of transportation, urban development, and economic innovation.
The city announced on the 30th that it had signed a letter of intent for exchange and cooperation between Sejong City and Sofia City with Kerezov Gencho, Director of the Digital Innovation Bureau, Sofia City, Bulgaria.
The history of exchange and cooperation between Sejong City and Sofia City dates back to June of last year. At that time, the city received an offer from the European Union (EU) to participate in an exchange project with the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
This project is related with EU promotion of sustainable urban development through exchanges between cities in Europe and Asia, and is carried on under the name of International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC).
The city accepted the European Union's proposal and discussed detailed cooperation measures such as sharing policies on transportation and renewable energy-related projects through five video conference calls, which resulted in the signing of a letter of intent.
Upon this agreement, the two cities plan to establish a business exchange system to solve urban problems, such as creative innovation, education and culture, intelligent city, carbon neutrality, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and share companionship in the future.
International Relations Ambassador Lee Yong-il said, “I think it is deeply meaningful to exchange and cooperate with Bulgaria, a member of the European Union that shares basic values with us and a major country in the Black Sea and Balkans. We hope that our experience and capabilities in urban development will be utilized.”
Meanwhile, the Sofia delegation will tour major city facilities including Sejong City Hall, the Urban Integrated Information Center, the automatic clean net facility, and the Sejong Technopark Industry-University Research Cluster for three days from this day to September 1 to discover exchange policies.
