Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Before returning to Taipei, Mayor Hau Lung-bin met with Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul Metropolitan Government on February 5. He invited his Korean counterpart to visit Taiwan to attend the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo and the 2011 IDA (International Design Alliance) World Congress in Taipei.
Having met for the first time, Mayor Oh expressed his gratitude to Hau for Taipei City Government’s support of the World Design Cities Summit in Seoul. The size of Taipei’s delegation is one of the largest, evident of its support for the design industry. He hopes that both cities could cooperate in the area of urban design in the future.
Hau noted that the summit organized by Seoul has been extremely successful. The metropolitan government should be proud about this achievement, and attending the summit has been a great learning experience for Taipei’s delegation.
He noted that the cities have a lot in common, including Seoul’s achievement in restoring its rivers and Taipei’s effort to revitalize Tamsui River, as well as the implementation of design aesthetics into urban projects.
Mayor Oh remarked that both cities have worked closely on the training of public servants over the years. He also thanked Taipei City Government for setting up a scholarship for Korean students.
Both Hau and Oh will be running for reelection in 2010. The two mayors wished each other the best, and Hau presented the mayor of Seoul with a porcelain tiger, symbolizing good fortune in the Year of the Tiger.