Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai and Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Dong-hwan signed the Memorandum of Understanding between Kaohsiung City and Goyang Special City on city collaboration on March 22, pledging to cooperate in diverse fields such as smart city development, the MICE industry, youth education, and culture. Mayor Chen stated that both Goyang and Kaohsiung have much to learn from each other, whether in smart city initiatives or the MICE economy. He affirmed that the signing of the MOU would strengthen bilateral ties in smart city and industry, expressing the expectation that Kaohsiung could draw on Goyang’s MICE experience to enhance its own competitiveness.
On the morning of the 22, Mayor Chen, having just returned from his visit to the United States, hosted the MOU signing ceremony with Mayor Lee, which was his first official engagement after returning home. He expressed his appreciation to Mayor Lee in his remarks for personally leading the delegation and demonstrating determination for bilateral exchanges, stating that the signing of the MOU marked a critical milestone in the relationship between the two cities. He also shared with Mayor Lee his experience from attending NVIDIA GTC 2025 in the US, highlighting the latest developments in robotics, autonomous driving, and generative AI technology.
Located just a 30-minute drive from Korea’s capital, Seoul, Goyang is a special city with a population of over one million. The city is home to Korea’s largest international exhibition center, KINTEX, which hosts international exhibitions, trade shows, and large-scale concerts throughout the year. The triennial Goyang International Flower Festival is especially renowned. During his visit from March 19 to 22, Mayor Lee attended the 2025 Smart City Summit & Expo and spoke at the Digital Forum and Net-Zero Sustainability Forum, enthusiastically sharing Goyang’s efforts in AI applications and circular resource policies.
At the meeting, Mayor Lee stated that, although it was his first visit to Kaohsiung, he could strongly sense the city’s development potential and witnessed its excellence in AI applications. He expressed his expectation to promote continued bilateral exchanges in smart city development, aiming to make both cities more livable and competitive. He also highlighted Goyang’s geographical advantages, noting that the city is located near Seoul and two major international airports and is home to Korea’s largest international exhibition center, KINTEX. He stated that Goyang would learn from Taiwan’s experiences and strive to attract more industries to establish operations and invest in the city. During his stay, he also visited the Southern Taiwan Science Park and the Asia New Bay Area Startup Terrace.
When discussing the MICE industry, a key focus of development for both cities, Mayor Chen also highlighted Kaohsiung’s achievements in promoting the concert economy and managing post-concert traffic flows through intelligent transportation monitoring technology. He welcomed more Korean entertainers and bands to hold concerts in Kaohsiung, noting that the city would draw on Goyang’s experience in hosting large-scale events and further collaborate in the fields in areas such as the implementation of intelligent transportation systems.
Director-General Chang Yen-ching of the Department of Administrative and International Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government, stated that exchanges between the two city government teams began in early last year. Since then, the two sides have maintained frequent interactions, including a visit and courtesy call by the Goyang City Government team to Kaohsiung at the end of last year. She affirmed that the signing of the MOU would deepen the friendship between the two cities and pave the way for greater substantive collaboration in the future.