On December 28, 2023, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic Aida Ismailova visited the city of Kumi, which has been a sister city of Bishkek since August 14, 1991.

For reference: Gumi is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, Republic of Korea with a population of 405 thousand people. It is a major industrial center of Korea, where the factories of the largest Korean companies are located: LG, Samsung, SK, posco, etc. In 2022, the city produced products worth approximately $39 billion and exported products worth $29.9 billion.

During the visit, A.Ismailova held a number of meetings with the mayor of Kumi Kim Jangho, the Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kumi Dal Ho Kim, the President of Kyungwoon University Kim Dong Je and the President of the National Technical Institute of Kumho Ho Sang Hwak.

During these meetings, A.Ismailov spoke about the need to intensify cooperation between the city of Kumi and Bishkek within the framework of the signed agreement on sister relations, in particular in the trade, economic, cultural, educational and medical spheres. She also informed about the investment climate of the country and called for the opening of production facilities for Korean companies in Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, she proposed to establish cooperation between Kyrgyz and Korean educational institutions in terms of student exchange.

The Korean side expressed interest in cooperation with Kyrgyzstan in terms of attracting labor and sending students to higher education institutions within the framework of scholarship programs.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to explore the issue of holding an interregional business forum, within which the business of the two countries can establish cooperation.