Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young and other key participants from South Korea and Uzbekistan pose for a group photo at the Korea-Uzbekistan Local Government Cooperation Forum on Friday. [Gyeongju City]
Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young and other key participants from South Korea and Uzbekistan pose for a group photo at the Korea-Uzbekistan Local Government Cooperation Forum on Friday. [Gyeongju City]

Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, announced Sunday that the city is pursuing the right to host the fourth Korea-Central Asia Local Government Cooperation Forum in 2027.

Gyeongju Mayor Ju Nak-young attended the Korea-Uzbekistan Local Government Cooperation Forum on Friday morning at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Seoul, where he expressed his intention to bring the fourth edition of the forum to Gyeongju in 2027.

The forum, co-hosted by the Council of Metropolitan and Provincial Governments and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in South Korea, drew about 150 representatives and officials from local governments of the two countries.

The South Korean delegation included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol; Incheon Mayor and Council of Metropolitan and Provincial Governments Chairman Park Chan-dae; Secretary General Yu Min-bong; and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jung Eui-hye.

The Uzbekistan side was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev and Uzbekistan Ambassador to South Korea Alisher Abdusalomov, among others.

Participants discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between local governments across a range of fields, including industry, investment, culture and tourism, and explored avenues to expand exchange networks.

In his welcoming remarks, Ju highlighted the achievements of exchanges between Gyeongju and Uzbekistan. He then said he hoped to host the fourth Korea-Central Asia Local Government Cooperation Forum in Gyeongju next year, following the third edition scheduled for Samarkand in November.

Gyeongju has consistently built the foundation for local government-level exchanges with Uzbekistan.

In August, an economic delegation from Kashkadarya Province visited Gyeongju to explore potential cooperation in energy, environmental and agricultural sectors.

"Building on more than a decade of friendship and trust with Samarkand, we will further expand our exchanges with Uzbekistan," Ju said. "We will work to bring the fourth Korea-Central Asia Local Government Cooperation Forum to Gyeongju in 2027 and broaden the scope of exchange and cooperation linking Korea and Central Asia."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com