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Mayor Park Heong-joon Meets Montreal Mayor: “Expecting Practical Cooperation in Culture, Arts, Tourism, and MICE”

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that yesterday (19th) at 4:40 p.m., it received a delegation from Montreal led by Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada at City Hall and discussed ways to expand cooperation in various areas such as cultural and creative industries, tourism, and urban policy.

The Montreal delegation, consisting of approximately 50 members including representatives from the Montreal Arts Council, the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, and institutions and companies in the cultural and creative sectors, visited Busan.

Mayor Park stated, “I sincerely welcome the visit of the Montreal delegation from our sister city,” adding, “Busan and Montreal share the common characteristic of enhancing urban competitiveness based on culture and creative industries.” He continued, “Let us expand cooperation across various fields, including cultural and artistic exchanges, collaboration in creative industries, tourism, and urban policy.”

At the meeting, Mayor Park shared Busan’s vision as a global hub city and discussed practical cooperation measures between the two cities in areas such as culture and the arts, revitalization of the tourism and MICE industry, urban policy, and advanced industries related to artificial intelligence (AI).

Mayor Ferrada expressed her appreciation, stating, “Thank you for the warm welcome,” and added, “Since assuming office in November 2025, I selected Korea as my first overseas destination.” She emphasized the significance of the visit, saying, “We have maintained a steady friendship with our sister city Busan, and this visit will serve as an opportunity for practical cooperation in various fields such as cultural and creative industries, tourism, artificial intelligence, and innovation.”

During the meeting, the two mayors agreed that both cities are strengthening their competitiveness based on culture and creative industries and decided to expand cooperation in areas such as cultural and artistic exchanges, collaboration in creative industries, tourism, and urban policy. In particular, they shared key policies and experiences, including Busan’s World Design Capital (WDC) initiative and its cultural and tourism revitalization policies, as well as Montreal’s creative city policies and design industry.

During its stay in Busan, the Montreal delegation is continuing its exchange program by visiting major cultural and artistic infrastructure and urban policy sites in the city.

Yesterday (19th), the delegation visited Busan Cinema Center and F1963, and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Busan Cultural Foundation and the Montreal Arts Council, laying the foundation for cultural and artistic exchange and cooperation between the two cities.

Today (20th), the delegation is scheduled to visit Busan Concert Hall, the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, and Gamcheon Culture Village to explore Busan’s cultural and tourism content. In addition, Mayor Ferrada plans to visit the Busan Transportation Information Service Center to review Busan’s traffic management system and smart city policies.

Busan Metropolitan City expects that this visit by the Montreal delegation will serve as an opportunity to expand cooperation between the two cities in various fields, including cultural and creative industries, tourism, and urban policy, and plans to further enhance Busan’s global city status through continued exchanges with global cities.

Mayor Park Heong-joon concluded the meeting by stating, “I hope this visit will further deepen the cooperative relationship between the two cities. Busan and Montreal will continue to expand practical exchanges in various fields, including culture, tourism, and urban policy.”