A wheel surprise! Dutch PM presents 220 bicycles to Seoul

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte received an honorary citizenship on Wednesday at Seoul City and donated 220 new bikes to the city's public bike project. The bikes were funded by the Dutch government and Korea-based Dutch corporations. / Yonhap

By Hong Dam-young

Seoul City has granted honorary citizenship to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has donated 220 bicycles to the city's eco-friendly public bike project.

Rutte visited the city on Wednesday, the third day of his four-day visit, and met Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to discuss the city's eco-friendly policy and sustainable development, before receiving the citizenship at 5 p.m.

It was Rutte's first visit to Seoul since his inauguration in October 2010 and follows Park's visit to the Netherlands in March 2014.

Two other prominent Dutch figures accompanied Rutte: former head coach of the South Korean national football team Guus Hiddink, who received honorary citizenship in 2002 after taking the team to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup; and architect Winny Mass, who took part in the city's urban restoration plan for Seoul Station and designed a new station flyover.

The donated bikes will be painted in Dutch national colors to symbolize the two countries' aliance. / Yonhap

Seoul's bike-rental program was introduced last October to ease traffic and reduce pollution.

The donated bikes were sponsored by nine Korea-based Dutch companies, including ING Group, Philips and Royal Dutch Shell, and the Dutch government. The bikes will be painted in Dutch national colors to symbolize the two countries' alliance.

The donation ceremony was held in front of Seoul Metropolitan Library around 6 p.m.

The bicycles will be distributed around the city in November, adding to the 5,600 bikes already operating.

"Rutte showed deep interest in our public bike policy," an official from the Bike Policy Division of Seoul City told The Korea Times.

"The Netherlands is known to have more bicycles than people, with around 1.1 bicycles per person. It is the first country to have contributed to Seoul City's public bike program."

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