Secretariat, Taipei City Government

Deputy Mayor Kim Seung-Su of Daegu City visited Taipei City Government on 23 February. He was warmly received by Chen Chin-Jun, deputy mayor of Taipei City. This was his second trip to visit Deputy Mayor Chen at Taipei City Government, the first occurring in 2016.
In his speech, Deputy Mayor Chen talked about when representatives of Taipei City Government went to Daegu City last year to deliver the Universiade Flame, and once again expressed his gratitude for their assistance. Deputy Mayor Kim said that he regretted he had been unable to personally receive Deputy Mayor Chen because he was away on a business trip. However, During the Mayor Kwon Young-Jin led the delegation to Taiwan to attend the Universiade, he once said that the event was held successfully and the congratulations were dedicated to Taipei City.
Deputy Mayor Kim also said that Daegu City has been sister cities with Taipei City for more than seven years, and that recently the two cities have seen significant growth in the number of tourists.  More tourists in Daegu are from Taipei than from any other city.
On his impressions of Daegu City during his visit last year, Deputy Mayor Chen said that seeing the city’s urban landscape and traffic conditions made it clear to him how hard Daegu City Government had been working, and that their efforts must have earned the recognition of many of their citizens. Deputy Mayor Kim said that Daegu citizens have very low tolerance for traffic problems and joked that in Seoul hour-long congestion was considered normal, but that in Daegu City a 10-minute traffic jam would lead to public complaints. Deputy Mayor Chen said that Taipei citizens also have very low tolerance for traffic problems and that he hoped the two cities could work together to solve such issues and meet the needs of their public.
Having heard about the recent earthquake disaster in Taiwan, Deputy Mayor Kim said that earthquakes do not occur frequently in South Korea, but that a magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit Daegu City last year and caused public concern about disaster prevention. The Daegu City government hopes to send experts to Taipei City to learn about disaster prevention, security facilities and building regulations. Deputy Mayor Chen said that Taipei City is quite proud of its earthquake disaster-prevention efforts: buildings in Taipei City have to meet strict standards, and fire safety is focused on natural disasters. The Taipei City Fire Department has also set up an earthquake relief SOP, which could Daegu City use as a point of reference.
On the evening of 24th, Deputy Mayor Kim and his delegation attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Taipei Lantern Festival, marking the first time that Daegu City has attended in the festival. The theme of the lanterns was "Le Tour de Daegu"—a series of the most famous Daegu landmarks and sightseeing spots, such as Palgong Mountain’s Crowned Buddha Rock, 83 Tower, Seomun Market, The Arc, the monorail and the Daegu Chimac Festival, which is held every summer. The Daegu-themed lanterns attracted many appreciative looks, as people took their time to enjoy the various styles.