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LA and Seoul sign friendship agreement

November 24, 2014
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, left visited Seoul City Hall to meet and agm with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to strengthen cooperation in disaster prevention and tourism. (NEWSis)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, left, and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon shake hands after announcing a mutual agreement of friendship between their cities. Park presented Garcetti with an honorary citizenship. (NEWSis)

During his visit to South Korea — a part of an Asia trade mission that also includes meetings in China and Japan — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti visited Seoul City Hall to meet with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to strengthen cooperation in disaster prevention and tourism.

They announced Sunday a mutual agreement of friendship between their cities as Park presented Garcetti with an honorary citizenship.

The agreement, the two cities’ second since 2006, outlines cooperation between Los Angeles and Seoul in urban security, tourism, culture, transport and the environment.

“Now that Mr. Garcetti is an honorary Seoul citizen, I hope he’ll foster even more goodwill and exchange between the two cities,” Park said, according to Yonhap.

According to Mayor Garcetti’s office, about $23.5 billion was exchanged by South Korea and Los Angeles last year. The city boasts the largest Korean American population outside of South Korea.

Garcetti will visit Buddhist temples and Korean business giants like Hyundai on Tuesday, followed by an arrival in Japan and a return to Los Angeles this week.