Yongin City Forges Friendship City Agreement with Fairfax County

Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il and Chmn. Jeffrey Mckay of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Northern Virginia pose after Yongin City signed a friendship city agreement with Fairfax County, Virginia on Jan. 13. (Photo: Yongin City)

Yongin City, Gyeonggi-do, struck a friendship city agreement with Fairfax County, Virginia.

Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il met with Chairman Jeffrey Mckay of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Northern Virginia and they signed the agreement on Jan. 13.

Lee was visiting the United States to participate in CES 2025 that took place in Las Vegas from Jan. 7 to Jan. 19 and boost international exchanges.

Fairfax County became the second county in the United States with which Yongin forged a friendship city agreement, following Williams County, Texas. Last September, Yongin City forged a friendship agreement with Williams County at Yongin City Hall.

Yongin Mayor Lee participated in a ceremony to ink a friendship deal in Williams County on Jan. 9.

Delegates from the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority toured Yongin City last October.

They explored ways of boosting exchanges during their meeting with businessmen in the Korean city.

On hand at the signing ceremony from Korea were Mayor Lee and six other delegates, while participants from Fairfax County included Chmn. Mckay of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill and President & CEO Victor Hoskins of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

Mayor Lee said, “Yongin, with a large-sized semiconductor cluster, under construction, have lots of things in common with Fairfax Country, dubbed ‘Silicon Valley of Eastern United States’ - companies related to advanced industries, such as semiconductors make massive investments, and population is on the rise.”

Lee expressed hope the friendship agreement will serve as an opportunity for the two cities to evolve through cultural exchanges among companies and universities.

Chmn. Mckay said, “Signing a friendship agreement with Yongin, Korea’s semiconductor center city and in innovative growth will bring about far-reaching effects in diverse areas, and from now on, we will promote information exchanges with Yongin and make the two cities evolve together through exchanges.”

The agreement calls for promoting cooperation in five sectors: the local government heads’ visit, exchanges among academic institutions and school promotion session invitation, encouraging of export consultation session invitations on the part of Yongin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Yongin Industry Promotion Agency and Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, planning of art group invitation performance from the two cities, and promoting of tours on the part of residents of the two cities.

Prior to the signing ceremony, Mayor Lee met with officials of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority and discussed ways of expanding industry exchanges of the two cities.

The authority introduced support measures, such as marketing of Korean companies entering the U.S. country and guidance on government restrictions.

Fairfax County has more than 10,000 companies related to advanced technologies in operation and employees related to advanced technologies stand at some 170,000.

Quantum Mechanics Industry Conference, slated for upcoming September is expected to bring together some 1,0000 companies, investment firms and research institution officials from some 30 countries.

Mayor Lee said, “Yongin also has to learn the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority’s programs providing services tailored to meet companies’ needs and build a better networking environment so that companies can invest.”

He added the two cities will try to cooperation in more sectors based on common agendas: “Innovation and advanced industries.”

Fairfax County has an administrative jurisdiction over 75 cities, including Alexandria, Centreville, Reston and Mc. Lean. The size of its total area covers 1,052 sq. km.

The county is the third-most populated people of Korean heritage in the United States.

Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology and Korea Institute of Intellectual Property Promotion have branches there. Some 70 Korean companies doing business there include Hanwha Aerospace, Korea Aerospace Industries, Golf Zone and StarKist.