by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 3, 2023
On Tuesday, August 1, a historic moment unfolded in Busan, South Korea, as Mayor Park Heong-Joon of Busan Metropolitan City and Mayor Bernard Wagner of Belize City came together to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) cementing a new sister-city relationship between the two municipalities.
The signing ceremony, witnessed by Prime Minister Hon. John Briceno and Dr. Osmond Martinez, CEO of the Ministry of Economic Development, marks a significant step towards enhancing academic collaboration between the two cities and exchange opportunities.
The inception of this partnership dates back to May 2023 when Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño made a diplomatic visit to the Republic of South Korea.
At the heart of this new alliance is the vision to foster educational cooperation, particularly in the field of oceanography.
Busan, being the second largest city in South Korea and boasting the country’s largest port (fifth largest in the world), has a prestigious university renowned for its specialization in oceanography.
As part of the program, Belizean students will be offered unparalleled opportunities to engage in applied research and development, with a key focus on preserving the Belize Barrier Reef.
The MoU itself outlines several crucial areas of cooperation, including:
- Bilateral exchanges and technical collaboration in the maritime sector;
- Joint efforts in environmental preservation and tourism promotion to drive mutual prosperity;
- The facilitation of people-to-people exchanges.
These exchanges will encompass invitational training programs for government officials and staff members from educational and research institutions in both cities.
The newly formed sister-city relationship between Belize City and Busan Metropolitan City is expected to unlock many opportunities.