Seoul is expecting to receive 12 million tourists this year, the majority of them will be the Chinese from mainland China, said Seoul City Mayor, Park Won-soon.
Park said the city expects more tourists are coming from China this time especially in spring compared to last year. The total of tourists’ arrivals in Seoul for 2015 was 10 million.
Meanwhile, Park in his speech addressing international journalist at a dinner said, Seoul is a uniquely attractive city with its beautiful natural environment and many magnificent mountains and rivers.
“It boasts a 2,000-year long history and tradition with very talented population which came up with the very famous K-pop, K-fashion and K-culture.
“Apart from the success stories, Seoul has many challenges to overcome. Korea is the only divided country in the world and as the capital city of Korea, Seoul has an important role to play in defending peace and attaining reunification.
“Peace on the Korea Peninsula is directly related to peace in the world. Consensus and support from the international community are essential. There are high hopes for the “Declaration of World Journalists for Global Peace and Denuclearization of Korea Peninsula, adopted at the 2016 Journalists Forum for World Peace recently.
He added, “It is true the pen is mightier than the sword in defending peace. I am sure that journalists can play a crucial role in the denuclearization and reunification of the Korean Peninsula. If you can go out into the world and write about easing tensions and resolving peace, we can open up a new peaceful chapter in the history of the world together.”
According to the mayor, Seoul will also play its part in opening up a peaceful future. Seoul and Pyeongyang are only 240 kilometers apart from each other. The city diplomacy will be pursued with Pyeongyang and build mutual trust and respect.
He said Seoul will strive for exchanges with Pyeongyang in areas such as culture, arts, and sports. This will pave the way for broader and more practical exchanges with Pyeongyang including transportation, environment, energy, city planning and city regeneration. – malaysiaworldnews.com
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