REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Renewal of Friendship City Memorandum of Understanding between City of Santa Clara and Icheon City, Republic of Korea
Report
BACKGROUND
On April 23, 2019, the City Council approved a three-year Friendship City Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and authorized the Mayor to sign the MOU on behalf of the City of Santa Clara. Since 2022, the representatives from Icheon City have indicated interest in continuing to build their Friendship City relationship with the City of Santa Clara.
Icheon City is located in the Gyeonggi Province of South Korea, approximately 35 miles from Seoul. A city of approximately 230,000, Icheon is known as the center of South Korean ceramic manufacturing and is designated as a UNESCO City of Crafts and Folk Art. A popular tourist attraction is Icheon Ceramics Village, which contains ceramics shops and working kilns. Icheon is also home to more than 1,200 companies. SK Hynix, one of the world's largest manufacturers of memory semiconductors, is headquartered in Icheon City, as well as HCT, a compliance testing and equipment calibration company. Local institutions of higher learning include Korea Tourism College and Chungkang College of Cultural Industries.
During the past few years, as part of the ongoing relationship, both cities have exchanged letters of greetings for various events and holidays and to announce newly elected officials. Icheon City has extended invitations to the Mayor for the 2023 and 2024 Icheon Ceramic Festival. In addition, there have been planned visits which were postponed. In November 2023, the Municipal Council of Icheon City visited Santa Clara. In late 2023, then-Vice Mayor Kevin Park also visited with the members of the Icheon City Council in the Republic of Korea.
Two Types of Sister Cities Affiliations
As background, a Sister City relationship is a long-term partnership between two communities in two countries. Sister Cities International defines a Sister City rela...
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