The Mayor of Seoul, Park Won Soon, named an Honourary Citizen of Montréal

MONTRÉAL, Sept. 8, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mayor of Montréal and President of Metropolis, the World Association of the Major Metropolises, the Honourable Denis Coderre, today welcomed to Montréal City Hall his counterpart from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, South Korea, Park Won Soon.

The meeting between the two mayors led to discussions on a variety of issues, including "living together" and the social economy. Park Won Soon is visiting Montréal where he will take part in the Global Social Economy Forum – GSEF, which is organized jointly by Montréal and the Chantier de l'économie sociale, which takes place at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal from September 7 to 9.

This meeting was followed by a ceremony during which Mayor Park Won Soon was named an Honourary Citizen of Montréal by Mayor Denis Coderre. The Mayor of Seoul took the opportunity to announce that the Seoul Metropolitan Government is joining the International Observatory of Mayors on Living Together, which is a network of cities and a platform for the exchange of experiences, innovative initiatives and knowledge in the fields of cohesion, inclusion and urban security. Launched in Montréal last June, the network is made up of 30 cities on four continents.

"I am pleased to meet again with my counterpart from Seoul and friend, Park Won Soon. I would like to acknowledge his leadership, commitment and major contribution in the fields of the social economy and the environment. It is actually on his initiative that Seoul hosted the first two editions of the Global Social Economy Forum in 2013 and 2014, as well as the World Congress of the International Council for Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability) in 2015," said Denis Coderre. "In this era of globalization, cities, and especially metropolises, play a vital role and are increasingly committed in the fields of international policies, social and economic development, environment and "Living Together", etc. And as such, Park Won Soon is a leader that all mayors of the world should follow," concluded Mayor Coderre.

This is the third meeting between the two mayors. They met for the first time in Los Angeles in September 2014 for the CityLab Summit, then in Seoul in April 2015, as part of the International Council for Environmental Initiatives meeting. The two mayors had then signed a friendship and cooperation agreement which included bilateral exchanges on a variety of topics, including the social economy, sustainable development, economic development and on "living together". Mr. Coderre had been named an Honourary Citizen of Seoul by Park Won Soon.

About the Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul is the capital and the largest city in South Korea. Located along the Han River, in the country's northwest, Seoul has a population of 10 million, and its urban area, more than 25 million people, making it the third most populated megalopolis in the world after Tokyo and Mexico. The largest Korean companies, including Samsung, LG and Hyundai are headquartered in Seoul, which is regarded as a global city. Its very high standard of living and GDP, which is the world's 4th largest after Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles, make Seoul one of the largest economic centres in the world.  

SOURCE Ville de Montréal - Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif

For further information: Source: Marc-André Gosselin, Attaché de presse, Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif, 514 290-1194 ; Information: François Goneau, Relationniste, Service des communications, 514 868-5859