Mayor Lee Jang-woo extended an invitation to the Seattle delegation, urging them to promote the upcoming Daejeon Zero O'clock Festival (대전 0시 축제), scheduled from August 11th to 17th, with the theme of "Time Travel," among the citizens of Seattle. Additionally, Mayor Lee requested support from Seattle for the performances of the Daejeon City Dance Company, planned for September in both Seattle and Portland. He also extended an invitation to Mayor Bruce Harrell to attend the "Global Market Forum on Economic Science," taking place in Daejeon in October.
Mayor Lee emphasized the recent developments in Daejeon City, known as Korea's science capital, which has strategically focused on nurturing the defense, nano-semiconductor, aerospace, and bio-health industries. He expressed a keen interest in learning from Seattle's experiences in attracting science and technology talents, as the city is emerging as a prominent hub for the tech industry and is often referred to as the second Silicon Valley.
Furthermore, Mayor Lee sought Mayor Bruce Harrell's interest and support in fostering collaborative relationships between renowned Seattle-based companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Expedia, Blue Origin (private space development), and Boeing, and companies in Daejeon.
In response, Mayor Bruce Harrell acknowledged the similarities between Daejeon and Seattle in terms of high-tech development and innovation, highlighting the presence of multiple universities in both cities. He proposed an expansion of research exchanges between universities and aviation research institutes in Daejeon and Seattle.
Mayor Bruce Harrell has been serving as Seattle's first Asian-American mayor since 2022, following his tenure as chairman of the Seattle City Council from 2016 to 2020.
Mayor Lee emphasized that the upcoming year would be a significant milestone as it marks the 35th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Daejeon City and Seattle City. He proposed celebrating this occasion with commemorative events and further expanding cooperation across various fields between the two cities.
Daejeon City and Seattle City have maintained a sister-city cooperation relationship since 1989, consistently engaging in exchanges. Notably, a Seattle park was established in Daejeon, and a Daejeon park was created in Seattle.
Following the meeting, Mayor Bruce Harrell visited Seattle Park in Dunsan-dong, met with President Bang Seung-chan at the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), toured the PR hall, and then proceeded to Seoul.
