Seoul（Korea）

Seoul（Korea）

[Overview] Seoul (full name Seoul Special City) is the capital city and largest metropolis of the Republic of Korea. It is also the political, economic, cultural and educational center as well as sea, land and air transportation hub of the country. Located in the central part of the Korean Peninsula, the city covers an area of 605.77 square kilometers and has a population of about 10 million.

[Politics] Seoul is governed by the Metropolitan Council and the Metropolitan Government. The Metropolitan Council consists of 114 members who are elected by the citizens, and has one chairperson and two vice chairpersons both elected by council members through secret ballots for a term of two years. The Metropolitan Government has a mayor and three deputy mayors, namely the first administrative deputy mayor, second administrative deputy mayor and deputy mayor for political affairs. The mayor is elected by the citizens for a term of four years. The incumbent Mayor Park Won-soon first took office in October 2011 and was reelected twice in June 2014 and June 2018 respectively.

[Economy] Seoul is the economic, financial, logistics and commercial center of the Republic of Korea. The services sector is highly developed with finance and information communications industries as the pillars. According to the metropolitan government, the city has six engines for its economic growth, which receive strong support from the government, namely digital content, information and communications, bio-nano technology, financial services, design, and tourism and convention.

[Culture and Education] As the cultural and educational center of the Republic of Korea, Seoul is home to some renowned universities, including Seoul National University and Korea University. It boasts a well-developed cultural industry. Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1948, is the most time-honored and outstanding symphony orchestra in the country.

[Relations with Beijing] Beijing and Seoul officially became sister cities on October 23, 1993. Beijing Municipal People's Congress and Seoul Metropolitan Council have had official exchanges since 1995 and established a mechanism of regular mutual visits and exchanges. The two cities have had close interactions in various fields and pragmatic cooperation has yielded bountiful fruits.

In 2013, to mark the 20th anniversary of the formation of sister-city relationship between Beijing and Seoul, the Beijing-Seoul Joint Committee was initiated to comprehensively promote pragmatic cooperation in a wide range of fields, including economy and trade, science and technology, culture, education, tourism, environmental protection and youth exchanges, giving rise to an overall pattern of all-round, multi-leveled and wide-ranging exchanges and cooperation. So far, the joint committee has successfully held three plenary sessions, helped establish effective and efficient ties between 29 functional departments of the two sides, and brought about more than 100 cooperation projects and exchange events, setting a great example for the pragmatic cooperation between capital cities.

In 2018, the 25th anniversary of the formation of the sister-city relationship, leaders of Beijing and Seoul carried out mutual visits and reached consensuses on furthering the friendly exchanges and practical collaboration in such areas as economy and trade, scientific and technological innovation, megacity governance and cultural development. In November, the two cities jointly staged performances at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing to mark the 25th anniversary of their sister-city relationship. 

首尔市（韩国）

【概况】首尔市（全称首尔特别市，旧译“汉城”）是韩国首都和最大城市，全国政治、经济、文化、教育中心和海陆空交通枢纽。位于朝鲜半岛中部，面积605.77平方公里，人口约1000万。

【政治】首尔市级管理机构包括市议会和市政府。市议会由114名议员组成，由市民选举产生。市议会设主席1名、副主席2名，均由市议员无记名投票产生，任期2年。市政府设市长1名，副市长3名（分别是行政第一副市长、行政第二副市长和政务副市长）。市长由市民选举产生，任期4年。现任市长朴元淳，于2011年10月首次就职，并于2014年6月、2018年6月两次连任。

【经济】首尔市是韩国经济中心、金融中心、物流中心和商业中心。服务业发达，金融业和信息通信业是首尔市支柱产业。首尔市政府将数字内容、信息通信、生物纳米、金融服务、设计、旅游会展业确定为经济增长的“六大引擎”，并予以大力扶持。

【文化教育】首尔市是韩国文化和教育中心。全市有首尔国立大学、高丽大学等知名学府。文化产业发达，成立于1948年的首尔市立交响乐团是韩国历史最悠久、最杰出的交响乐团。 

【两市交往】1993年10月23日，北京市与首尔市正式建立友好城市关系。北京市人大与首尔市议会自1995年开始官方交往，并逐步建立定期互访交流机制。近年来，两市各领域交流密切，务实合作成果丰硕。

2013年，在结好20周年之际，两市政府共同设立“北京首尔混合委员会”合作机制，统筹推进双方在经贸、科技、文化、教育、旅游、环保、青少年交流等各领域的务实合作，形成了全方位、立体化、宽领域的交往合作格局。截至目前，混委会全体会议已成功举办3届，推动了双方29个职能部门高效对接，为两市创造了百余个合作项目和交流活动，成为首都城市务实合作的典范。

2018年是两市结好25周年，双方高层实现互访，并就进一步推动在经贸、科技创新、大城市治理、人文等各领域友好交往与务实合作达成共识。11月，两市共同在国家大剧院举办了“北京首尔结好25周年纪念演出”。

（Source: Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal Government）