Engaging in Exchange and Cooperation with Genoa, Italy, and Barcelona and Madrid, Spain Mayor Park Heong-joon of Busan to Visit Three European Cities to Promote Global Hub City InitiativeEngaging in Exchange and Cooperation with Genoa, Italy, and Barcelona and Madrid, SpainMayor Park Heong-joon of Busan will embark on a tour of Genoa in Italy, and Barcelona and Madrid in Spain, starting on the 19th, to strengthen the foundation for Busan's transformation into a global hub city. This 5-night, 7-day tour aims to enhance Busan's city brand and promote sustainable development. Mayor Park's key activities will include signing a sister city agreement with Genoa, adopting a joint declaration to strengthen the sister city relationship with Barcelona, signing a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and hosting an economic and investment cooperation forum in Madrid. Discussions on exchanges and cooperation with the Mayor of Madrid are also on the agenda. Starting in Genoa on the 20th local time, Mayor Park will meet with Mayor Marco Bucci to discuss cooperation in various fields, including maritime affairs, ports, investment and trade, tourism, culture, arts, and sports. He will visit the Genoa Port Authority to discuss port cooperation and tour the cruise terminal facilities. This year marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Italy, and Genoa will become Busan’s first sister city in Italy. Strengthening Exchanges in Barcelona On the 21st, Mayor Park will meet with Mayor Jaume Collboni of Barcelona to sign a joint declaration to strengthen the sister city relationship. They will discuss new cooperation projects in digital innovation and cultural content. Additionally, the Busan Museum of Art will sign an MOU with Spanish cultural institutions to expand cultural and artistic exchanges. Economic Cooperation in Madrid On the 23rd, Mayor Park will sign a memorandum of understanding for joint cooperation with the World Tourism Organization and attend an economic and investment cooperation forum at the Madrid Chamber of Commerce. During the forum, he will seek various opportunities to accelerate economic growth between Busan and Madrid. On the 24th, he will meet with Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida of Madrid to discuss cultural and economic exchanges, building on the outcomes of the previous day's forum. Vision for Busan as a Global Hub City Mayor Park stated, “2024 marks the first year of realizing ‘Global Hub City Busan,’ leveraging Busan's enhanced innovation capabilities and urban competitiveness to establish its role as a central city in South Korea.” He added, “We expect meaningful results in sustainable development and the enhancement of Busan’s city brand through continuous and substantial exchanges and cooperation with global cities.” Mayor Park's tour is expected to promote 'Global Hub City Busan' and boost Busan’s urban diplomacy activities through meetings with key figures in various fields, including the mayors of the three cities. ¹ÚÇüÁØ ºÎ»ê½ÃÀåÀÌ ¿À´Â 19ÀϺÎÅÍ ÀÌÅ»¸®¾Æ Á¦³ë¹Ù, ½ºÆäÀÎ ¹Ù¸£¼¿·Î³ª¿Í ¸¶µå¸®µå¸¦ ¼ø¹æÇÏ¸ç ±Û·Î¹ú Çãºêµµ½Ã·ÎÀÇ µµ¾àÀ» À§ÇÑ ±â¹Ý °È¿¡ ³ª¼±´Ù.