Seoul is the capital and largest city in South Korea. Located on the Han River in the northwestern part of the country, the city is home to over 9.5 million residents and over half of all South Koreans.
Seoul is a leading global city, the city boasts 15 Fortune Global 500 companies such as Samsung, the world's largest technology company, as well as LG, Hyundai and Kia. Seoul is one of the largest economies in the world (the GDP of Seoul alone is approximately $352 billion USD).
Seoul contains five UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives over 11 million international visitors annually, making it the world's 11th most visited city.
It is known as the historical, cultural, political and economic hub of South Korea.
How the relationship began
Support from Seoul to establish a relationship with Wellington began in 2008. After cooperation and engagement from both sides for several years, Wellington’s relationship with Seoul was formalised during an official Mayoral visit in 2016.
A friendly city memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed, with areas of cooperation including the creative economy and film industries, start-ups and innovation, tourism, cultural exchanges, education, as well as smart city and governance technology.
After several years of successful friendly city engagement, Wellington City Council agreed to progress the relationship with Seoul from a friendly city to a formal sister city in 2020. Tory Whanau, Mayor of Wellington and Oh Se Hoon, Mayor of Seoul signed an official Wellington-Seoul Sister Cities agreement on 26 September 2023.
Highlights
The relationship between Seoul and Wellington remains strong with the two cities collaborating on several initiatives and activities, some highlights include:
- visits by civic and business leaders
- mayoral delegations
- film and screenwriter visits and exchanges
- participation in forums and membership in networks on issues or in sectors specific to areas of interest for Wellington.