Gyeonggi Province Governor Dong Yeon Kim met with His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf, Mayor of Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia, to open the door for cooperation between Gyeonggi Province and Riyadh.

Governor Kim exchanged views with the Mayor of Riyadh Region on the climate crisis, public transportation management and urban planning cooperation between Gyeonggi Province and Riyadh at Dodamso (gubernatorial residence) on the morning of October 11.

Governor Kim explained the details of Gyeonggi Province’s climate policy and “Vision 2030,” which he led as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance during the previous national administration.

Governor Kim said, “As a key figure behind the creation of Korea’s ‘Vision 2030’ 20 years ago, I was very happy to hear about ‘Saudi Vision 2030.’ We look forward to its successful implementation… Gyeonggi Province is the center of all industries and economies in Korea, and has everything that Riyadh wants for urban development. We look forward to further strengthening relations between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Gyeonggi Province.”

He continued, “Suwon, the capital of Gyeonggi Province, was the first planned city in the Korean Peninsula, built 230 years ago today… It is a remarkable planned city with architectural technologies and disciplines that are difficult to comprehend even now. Once again, I respectfully ask you to please visit again. Next time, I hope you will have at least one day to explore Suwon.”

The Mayor of Riyadh Region, said, “Saudi Arabia and Riyadh have very good feelings toward Korea. This is because, without Korea’s cooperation in the 1970s and 1980s, it would have been difficult to complete the city as it is now… Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategy to build a stronger country, and I think there are many similarities between Saudi Arabia and Korea. I believe it is important to maintain relations with the Korean government and local governments, and I hope that the cooperation will continue in the future.”

He continued, “We announced the Riyadh Sustainability Strategy in 2021, and we are currently promoting about 60 to 70 projects… I would like to strengthen cooperation in the field of renewable energy. I hope that our working-level officials can further discuss and build a mutually beneficial cooperation system in the future.”

Saudi Arabia is promoting the ‘Saudi Arabia Vision 2030’ project to reduce dependence on oil, open up the economy and promote soft power. As part of this, Riyadh Municipality, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, is implementing the ‘Riyadh 2030 Project’ to make Riyadh one of the top 10 cities in the world, and is promoting the ‘New Murabba Project’ to create a complex for housing, transportation, and the arts using environmentally friendly, cutting-edge technologies.

The meeting was organized at the request of Riyadh with hopes for inter-regional cooperation, noting that Governor Kim is deeply interested in responding to the climate crisis and Gyeonggi Province is implementing leading policies.

Meanwhile, saying Riyadh will host a World Expo in Riyadh in 2030, the Mayor of Riyadh Region asked for the interest of Gyeonggi Province and South Korea.