Im meets Hong Kong Legislative Council president, pledges policy cooperation on environment and urban development; delegation tours City Gallery and West Kowloon Cultural District
Seoul Metropolitan Council Speaker Im Man-gyun traveled to Hong Kong to examine urban development and environmental policy and to pursue expanded policy exchanges between the two cities.
Im led a seven-member council delegation that included Deputy Speakers Seong Heum-je and Lee Seong-bae on a two-day trip to Hong Kong from Thursday to Friday.
On Thursday, the delegation met Hong Kong Legislative Council President Lee Wai-king at the Legislative Council building, where both sides agreed to sustain policy exchanges and cooperation between Seoul and Hong Kong. The group then held talks with Environmental Affairs Panel Chairman Chan Ka-fei and panel members, discussing policies on water pollution prevention and marine environment improvement.
Im introduced Seoul's experience restoring urban stream ecosystems and improving water quality following the Cheonggyecheon restoration project. Im also described the city's efforts to upgrade aging sewer infrastructure in preparation for heavy rainfall driven by climate change, as well as its Han River water quality management policies.
The delegation also visited the City Gallery, Hong Kong's urban planning and development exhibition center, where they reviewed future city development plans including the government's Northern Metropolis development project.
On Friday, the group toured the West Kowloon Cultural District — a former landfill redeveloped into a mixed-use complex combining cultural, commercial, residential and public spaces — to study examples of waterfront regeneration and integrated cultural facility development.
Earlier in the trip, the delegation visited the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong, where they received a briefing on the latest political and economic developments in the city and discussed ways to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two cities.
"Seoul and Hong Kong share common challenges, including aging infrastructure and issues related to transportation and the environment," Im said. "We will continue to share our experiences and insights to help both cities address the problems they face."
Im added that the visit would serve as a springboard for broader parliamentary diplomacy efforts. "We will continue to pursue diverse legislative diplomacy activities to promote Seoul's best policies abroad and foster mutually beneficial development between cities," Im said.
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