○ Governor Dong Yeon Kim met with key figures at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos on Jan. 21 to discuss cooperation with Gyeonggi Province
– Met with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore to discuss Gyeonggi Province’s climate policy
– Met with French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin to strengthen cooperation in semiconductor, AI, and battery sectors
– Met with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to propose strengthening of cooperation in startups, trade, and youth exchanges

Gyeonggi Province announced that Governor Dong Yeon Kim attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos, Switzerland, and met with key figures from various countries, including former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin, and Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, to discuss cooperation with Gyeonggi Province.

Governor Kim met with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the Davos Congress Center in Switzerland on Jan. 21, 2025. Governor Kim elucidated the political situation in Korea and concerns about Korean democracy following the aborted declaration of martial law, emphasizing the resilience of the Korean people. He then introduced the progress of Gyeonggi Province’s climate policy and extended an invitation to visit Gyeonggi Province.

Former Vice President Gore expressed concern about global attempts to regress democracy and praised Governor Kim’s consistent commitment to climate policy and efforts to normalize Korean politics.

This is the third meeting between Governor Kim and former Vice President Gore. In August 2023, Governor Kim participated as a local government representative speaker at the Climate Reality Leadership Training held at KINTEX in Goyang City, where he exchanged opinions with Gore on overcoming the climate crisis. They met again last year at Davos 2024 to discuss cooperation plans.

Governor Kim then met with French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin to discuss strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

The two agreed on the need to strengthen and expand cooperation between France’s local governments, Gyeonggi Province, and businesses in the fields of semiconductors, AI, and batteries.

They also agreed to strengthen practical cooperation between France and Gyeonggi Province amid increasing uncertainty in the global economy, including dual conflicts in supply chains and security, Trump’s tariff tactics, and energy policy repercussions, and extended invitations to each other for reciprocal visits. Furthermore, Governor Kim and Minister Saint-Martin exchanged mobile phone numbers for direct communication.

Governor Kim also met with Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong to promote bilateral cooperation.

Governor Kim proposed strengthening cooperation in startups, trade, and youth exchanges, and extended an invitation to Deputy Prime Minister Gan, expressing expectations that his visit would lead to more practical cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan stated that Singapore values economic cooperation with neighboring countries, including South Korea, amid changes in the international landscape. He mentioned that Hyundai Motor’s research facility is highly regarded as the only mobility facility in Singapore, and expressed hope for Governor Kim’s support in transferring Korean companies’ management know-how and internships.

Gyeonggi Province and Singapore have maintained steady exchanges in innovation since Davos 2024, including meetings between Governor Kim and Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Minister of Communications and Information Josephine Teo, a meeting between Gyeonggi Vice Governor for Economy Kim Hyun-gon and a delegation led by Second Permanent Secretary for the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group Augustine Lee, and a visit to the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex by Singaporean Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo.

Last July, as part of Gyeonggi’s Youth Ladder project, 30 young people from Gyeonggi Province participated in language classes and various experiential activities at the National University of Singapore (NUS). In October, Singapore’s Chief AI Officer, Dr. He Ruimin, attended the Gyeonggi Great Global Transformation Forum hosted by Gyeonggi Province to discuss AI and humanomics. The Singapore government has also officially extended an invitation to Governor Kim through the Nathan Fellowship, a program that invites foreign dignitaries to share insights with Singaporean leaders and senior government officials. In November, Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Research Foundation Heng Swee Keat visited Gyeonggi Province and promised to strengthen bilateral cooperation and innovation coordination.