British Columbia Premier Christy Clark further strengthened B.C. - Korea trade and cultural relations, declaring April 18 "Gyeonggi Day in B.C." as she met with Provincial Governor KIM Moon-Soo during his first official visit to British Columbia.

"Korea's and Gyeonggi's partnership with British Columbia spans the Pacific and is built on a solid two-way trade relationship totalling billions of dollars annually," said Premier Clark. "The sister-province relationship we have with Gyeonggi is bringing together businesses and the education sector to create jobs and opportunities in both provinces."

"Gyeonggi Province considers itself fortunate to share such dynamic ties with the Province of British Columbia and is truly honoured by the declaration of Gyeonggi Day," Governor KIM said. "With progressive agreements in an array of sectors, we look forward to continuing this invaluable partnership for many years to come."

Following the meeting the two provincial leaders, Premier Clark and Governor KIM signed the B.C. - Gyeonggi Progress Report on the Sister Province Action Plan for 2010-2012.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a twinning agreement between Victoria High School in B.C. and TaeJang High School in Gyeonggi, which will promote closer ties between students and teachers in the two provinces.

"School-to-school connections like this provide our children with the global knowledge, intercultural understanding and international experiences they need to thrive in an interconnected world," said Premier Clark.

Gyeonggi is the Republic of Korea's most populous province and accounts for one-fifth of the country's GDP and exports. It is the country's fastest growing economy and home to world-leading companies Samsung, Hyundai-Kia and LG.

During the two-day visit by Governor KIM, he has been engaged in discussions to further interests in areas of green energy/green buildings, digital media, marine leisure and educational exchanges.

Facts on British Columbia - Korea relations:

• The Republic of Korea is B.C.'s fourth-largest trading partner.

• In 2009, $3.2 billion worth of goods were traded between B.C. and Korea.

• B.C.'s exports to Korea have doubled in the past decade; B.C. represents 50 per cent of Canada's exports to Korea.
  
• Korea is an important source of international students to B.C., second only to China. In 2009, over 12,000 Korean students were studying in B.C., representing 23 per cent of the province's total international student population.

In May 2008, the agreement establishing a Gyeonggi-British Columbia Sister Province Relationship was signed. in February 2010, the two provinces followed this by signing a three-year Action Plan outlining areas for cooperation in six sector areas: biotechnology; green energy; marine leisure; digital media; culture and tourism; personnel exchanges.

Two backgrounders follow.

Contact:

Chris Olsen
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 220-1640

Backgrounder 1

Gyeonggi-British Columbia Sister Province Relationship: update

Gyeonggi Province of the Republic of Korea and the Province of British Columbia of Canada are jointly committed to implement a three-year Action Plan for 2010-2012 to build co-operation between the two regions within the framework of their Memorandum of Understanding on the Sister Province Relationship.

The Action Plan focuses on strengthening co-operation in the fields of Biotechnology, Green Energy, Marine Leisure, Digital Media, Culture & Tourism, Personnel Exchanges, and other areas for the benefit of the residents of the respective regions.

To mark the occasion of the first official visit to British Columbia by Honourable KIM Moon-Soo, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and the first meeting between The Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of the Province of British Columbia and Governor KIM, the participants reaffirm the Gyeonggi - British Columbia sister province relationship and report on the status of the Action Plan for 2010-2012.

1. Highlights of the Gyeonggi - British Columbia relationship of the past 12 months:

• The visit of Vice Governor You Yeon-Chae and delegation to British Columbia during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, featuring trade meetings with B.C.'s digital media, clean energy and marine leisure industries.
• The visit of Gyeonggi-based Samsung Electronics CEO to Vancouver to open Samsung House at the Winter Games.
• A trade delegation of 10 Gyeonggi consumer products companies visited British Columbia in March 2010.
• Environmental officials from Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi, came as part of the Korean delegation to GLOBE 2010 in March 2010.
• A delegation of Gyeonggi provincial government officials visited Vancouver in February 2011 to attend the Vancouver International Boat Show. A reciprocal visit followed in June 2010 when British Columbia participated in Gyeonggi Korea International Boat Show.
• B.C.'s trade team led a delegation to two Korean green energy trade shows, ENVEX in June and ENTECH in September, where B.C. green energy companies were introduced to Gyeonggi companies.
• A green building trade mission to Korea provided an opportunity for B.C.'s green design architects to exchange ideas with Korean planners, including those from Gyeonggi Province.
• The mayor of Burnaby led a delegation to Korea in September 2010 and signed a sister city agreement with Hwaseong City. The mayor of Coquitlam led a delegation to Gyeonggi and visited sister city Paju in October 2010.
• Exports of B.C.-grown blueberries to Korea by Gyeonggi-based Maple Life/Sejin Trading Company, with the assistance of B.C.'s Asia-Pacific trade team.
• Dr. Byoung Joo Gwag from Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, based at the Gyeonggi Bio-Center, was among the delegation of Korean companies that came to BioPartnering North America in Vancouver at the end of February 2011.
• Canada Wood Korea, with funding from the governments of B.C. and Canada, participated in two building and construction shows in Gyeonggi Province. The Kuyunghyang Housing Fair in Feb. 2011 and the Korean Architecture Fair and Festival in Oct. 2010. These shows provided an opportunity to showcase B.C.'s forest products and green construction technologies.

2. Biotechnology

B.C. and Gyeonggi continue to build ties between life sciences companies in both provinces. The annual BioPartnering North America in Vancouver provides a yearly opportunity for B.C. and Gyeonggi biotech companies to build research and commercial partnerships.

3. Green Energy

• B.C. and Gyeonggi share a commitment to advancing the green economy through clean energy innovation in the areas of green buildings, fuel cell technology and renewable energy.
• British Columbia is proud to host two major green energy conference and trade shows in the coming months, namely Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell 2011 in May, and GLOBE2012 next March to which the province looks forward to welcoming Gyeonggi companies.
• In turn, B.C. bioenergy companies will have an opportunity to visit Gyeonggi Province in June, as part of a Canadian bioenergy delegation to Korea.
• Working with Canada Wood Korea, British Columbia will continue to look for opportunities to partner with Gyeonggi in providing university-based training and practical demonstration projects related to wood frame construction and green building innovation

4. Marine Leisure Industry

o British Columbia and Gyeonggi both host the preeminent boating industry trade shows in their respective regions. B.C. will once again have a presence at the Korea International Boat Show in Gyeonggi this June - and is promoting this opportunity to B.C. marine industry companies interested in expanding exports to Korea.

5. Digital Media

• Both British Columbia and Gyeonggi have important clusters for digital media, gaming, mobile applications and ICT. B.C. will build upon the ties between DigiBC and the Gyeonggi Digital Content Agency in the coming year.
• For the first time ever, Vancouver will host SIGGRAPH in August 2011, bringing together over 15,000 professionals in multimedia, visualization, simulation, video games and virtual reality. British Columbia looks forward to hosting a Korean delegation led by the Gyeonggi Digital Content Agency.

6. Culture & Tourism

• Having recently hosted the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, British Columbia has a wealth of experience to share with Korea in support of Gangwon Province's bid to host the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. British Columbia stands ready to work closely with Korea should they be awarded the Olympic Winter Games.
• Both British Columbia and Gyeonggi share a commitment to healthy living. British Columbia has hosted the 14th International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) in August 2002 in Victoria - and is supporting Gyeonggi in hosting the 17th IFOAM in October 2011 by promoting this opportunity to BC companies.

7. Personnel Exchanges

To support the increasing flow of two-way trade missions and economic ties between British Columbia and Gyeonggi, B.C. will host a Gyeonggi provincial trade officer as part of the Korea trade and investment team within the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. The Gyeonggi trade officer will work to support bilateral business development, institutional exchanges, as well as intergovernmental relations.

8. Educational Exchanges

• British Columbia and Gyeonggi will look for opportunities to continue to advance two-way exchange of students and educators between our provinces. An opportunity for student exchanges will be strengthened through today's announcement of a twinning agreement signed between Victoria High School in BC and TaeJang High School in Gyeonggi.
• British Columbia will also seek to promote opportunities for English Language Teachers to live and work in Korea, including at the Gyeonggi English Village.

Backgrounder 2

Biography of Gyeonggi Province Governor KIM Moon-Soo

• Graduated from Seoul National University, business administration major
• Governor of Gyeonggi Province since 2006

Political Career

• Engaged in South Korea's democratic and labor movement in 1970s and 1980s.
• Served as National Assemblyman for three terms (1996 -2006), representing Sosa district of Bucheon City, Gyeonggi Province, as a member of the Grand National Party.
• Served on Assembly committees such as the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, the Environment & Labor Committee, and Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee.
• Deputy Floor Leader of the Grand National Party in 1998.
• Chairman of the Grand National Party Nomination Screening Committee for the 2004 General Elections.
• Assumed office as Governor of Gyeonggi Province in 2006 and re-elected to second term in June of 2010.

Awards & Certificates

• Received US Forces Korea Good Neighbour Award in 2010 for improving quality of life for US military personnel and enhancing Korean-American relations.
• Selected as Best National Assemblyman nine out of 10 years by civic watchdogs from 1996 to 2005.
• Green Politician Award by the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement (1996).
• Selected by Korean media as No. 1 National Assemblyman in terms of integrity and diligence in 2006.
• Selected as the leading local government leader in terms of campaign-pledge implementation by a key Korean watchdog group in 2007 and 2009.
• Honoured with the Forbes Management Quality Award in the public innovation category in 2007 and in the leadership category in 2009 as presented by Forbes Korea and the Korean Society for Quality Management.