The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Caroline Conroy and the Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon have signed a Friendship Agreement between their two cities for a four-year term.
Following a request from Seoul Metropolitan Government on 7th February 2023, the Protocol Committee of Dublin City Council at its meeting agreed to sign the Friendship Agreement.
Areas of cooperation include Transportation, Housing, Climate Action, Low Carbon City and Climate Resilience, Circular Economy, Smart Cities, Social Economy and Culture. Other areas may be considered following more in-depth conversations with the City of Seoul.
2023 marks the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Republic of Korea and the signing of the Friendship Agreement has received the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Irish Embassy in Seoul and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Dublin.
The following were outlined as areas where immediate collaboration could begin:
- Transportation with a focus on shared challenges around mobility, specifically walking and cycling
- Housing – especially around the area of retrofitting and energy efficiency
- Climate Action Plan
- Low Carbon City and Climate Resilience
- Circular Economy
- Data Analytics and Smart Cities
- Culture including building on existing relationships in the areas of UNESCO Creative Cities, Dublin Lunar New Year Festival, Dublin International Literary Award and Culture Night.
A delegation from Seoul Republic of Korea will visit Dublin from 15th- 17th March and during their visit will meet with the Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy and take a tour of Dublin Docklands.