BUSAN — Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo met with Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, to discuss ways to expand cooperation between the city and the United States in the economy, culture and future industries.
Jeon met Steel at the city hall's international reception room on the afternoon of the 22nd and exchanged views on promoting friendship and expanding exchanges, the Busan Metropolitan Government said on the 23rd.
Welcoming Steel's appointment and her visit to Busan, Jeon said, "U.S. cooperation has been a major foundation for South Korea's growth." He added, "I hope Busan and the United States, which have maintained a long friendship built on a history of defending freedom and peace, will broaden cooperation in many areas, including the economy, culture and future industries."
Jeon highlighted the global standing of Busan Port and laid out a maritime vision for the future. "In a country that grew through exports, Busan Port is the key gateway to the world," he said. "We will intensively develop Busan Port — a logistics hub ranked seventh in the world by container volume and second by transshipment volume — into a logistics base for the Arctic shipping route, completing its role as a maritime capital."
Steel praised Busan's development. "The way Busan has changed since my last visit is remarkably impressive," she said. "Korea is now a leader of the global economy and is working closely with the United States." Both sides expressed hope that the South Korea-U.S. alliance would be further strengthened.