First stop on the journey president Pere Aragones in the South Korea has suwoncapital city of Gyoenggi, the most populous region of the country and one of its economic and industrial centers. In short, a ‘Korean Catalonia’ with which the Government has had a cooperation agreement since 1999. The current cooperation agreement expires in 2024 and this Monday both Aragonès and the regional governor, Kim Dong-yeonhas expressed its willingness to renew it for another four years.

The President has identified three areas in which Catalonia and Gyeonggi must strengthen their relations: environmentHe technology sector And who has video games. In fact, the Generalitat is promoting an alliance of regional governments to defend the country ’emerging and disruptive technology’ to which the province of Korea will be added. Apart from Catalonia, Flanders (Belgium), Hessen (Germany), Scotland (England), Quebec (Canada), and the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) are already part of it.

Aragones and Dong-yeon have agreed to highlight similarities between the two regions, the “common interests” between the two, and the need to “intensify this cooperation” compared to 24 years ago. In fact, the President has reminded him of that Gyeonggi He was the “first partner” of Catalonia in Asia and now the time has come to “deepen” this bond.

As proof of the desire to continue collaborating, Aragonès has informed the governor of the inauguration this afternoon. Generalitat delegation in South Korea, which will be located in the capital city of Seoul. “This will double Catalonia’s projections in the country. The door is open,” he said.

To President Aragonès at this meeting in Suwon This not only serves to maintain interrelationships both governments, but also based on the level of the person you are talking to. The Generalitat has highlighted that the governor, from the Democratic (progressive) party, has a past in Korea’s national government. Before Minister Korean government Coordination and Policy (2013-2014) and Deputy Prime Minister and Head of Economics and Finance (2017-2018).

The meeting was held at the former residence of the province’s governor, now converted into a cultural center, and has a gift exchange. The President has given him the Korean version of ‘Jo Confeso’ by Jaume Cabre; reliefs of the most unique buildings in Catalonia and a jar of orange marmalade from the Generalitat’s ‘Pati dels Tarongers’. The meeting produced many anecdotes, such as when Dong-yeon recalled another reason for the merger of the two regions, in the case of this sport. The Olympic marathon champion at the 1992 Barcelona games was Korean Young Cho Hwang.

Appointment with ambassador

The Generalitat’s activities abroad were always closely followed with a magnifying glass by the Government, especially since the emergence of ‘procés’ and the expansion of Catalan ’embassies’ abroad, the delegates. Meanwhile PP fights them and closing it with article 155, PSOE has tolerated its growth. In his first hours in Korea this Sunday, the president received the visit of the Spanish ambassador in this country, William Kirkpatrickin friendly encounters, as defined by knowledgeable sources.