Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Urban diplomacy plays vital role for Seoul to become leading global city
Paik Ji-ah, ambassador for international relations of Seoul Metropolitan Government, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at her office in City Hall, Nov. 9. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
Seoul is internationally known for having achieved exemplary urban development. After having been devastated by the 1950-53 Korean War, the country's capital is now being benchmarked by developing countries.
And in the global era, cities can sustain themselves and continue to develop through inter-city exchanges, just as nations do.
To facilitate the capital's relations with other foreign cities, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been appointing an “ambassador for international relations” since 1992, who consults the city government on the capital's overall international exchanges, including helping it set up urban diplomacy policies, hold international conferences and expand international cooperation.
On July 23, Paik Ji-ah, Korea's former ambassador to the United Nations, became the latest to take the position.
“I provide support in meetings between city officials including the mayor and foreign guests such as ambassadors to Korea, as well as offer advice on international cooperation and exchange projects, and serve as a bridge between Seoul and the central government regarding foreign affairs,” Paik said in an interview with The Korea Times at City Hall, Nov. 9.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center, participates in an opening ceremony of the Seoul Friendship Festival at City Hall, Oct. 1, with dignitaries from overseas participating online. On the left is Paik Ji-ah, Seoul City's ambassador for international relations, and on the right is Public Communications Bureau Director-General Yoon Jong-jang. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
As the 20th ambassador for international relations for the city government, Paik emphasizes the importance of urban diplomacy in dealing with issues that national-level diplomacy cannot.
“The importance of urban diplomacy is that even sensitive issues can be dealt with flexibly through economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between local governments,” Paik said. “Therefore, the competitiveness of local governments leads to national competitiveness.”
In addition, as a member city of international organizations such as CityNet, a coalition of local authorities in the Asia-Pacific region, and WeGO, an international association of cities and local governments, Seoul shares major policies such as those on problems arising from urbanization and climate change response with other member cities.
Paik said Seoul has become a role model for developing countries. Among many of Seoul's policies attracting global attention, she said many ambassadors from other countries show particular interest in the city's traffic control system, water supply system and urban greening projects.
“Seoul has become a city showing economic growth and global competitiveness, and is contributing to promoting Korean pop culture around the world through support in the movie and media industries. It is also sharing its knowhow on smart city, traffic and water management with cities of developing nations.”
As such, Paik said that the role of the country's capital is important to increase the competitiveness of the entirety of Korea.
“Strengthening Seoul's urban competitiveness is what Mayor Oh Se-hoon emphasized in Seoul Vision 2030, his master plan for the city government's policy direction over the next decade,” Paik said.
Through this master plan, Oh said he will make efforts to bring Seoul up to the level one of the top five global cities by strengthening financial competitiveness, supporting startups and the beauty industry and holding global festivals.
“For the goal, we'll also need to strengthen Seoul's influence through strengthened cooperation with major cities, expansion of economic cooperation with ASEAN and India, and participation in international consultative bodies and organizations including WeGO and CityNet,” she said.
“Improving Seoul's urban diplomacy and increasing cooperation with the central government is required because Seoul's enhanced stature will lead to stronger national competitiveness.”