Tightening of city bonds: mayor Doug Hawkins confirms trip to Korea

The visit will be part of a cultural exchange between the two cities to build friendships and open up trade lines.

The invitation to visit the Daegu City of Suseong-gu, extended by mayor Kim Daw-kwon, was accepted at the LPSC's council meeting on Thursday, February 14.

The trip to South Korea will run from Friday, April 19, to Sunday, April 28.

Cr Hawkins said "huge opportunities" could follow from this visit.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the Liverpool Plains," he said during the meeting.

"The purpose of the trip is to strengthen relationships between the LPSC and Suseong-gu, and to further explore economic and strategic education and cultural opportunities."

In support of the push, Cr Hawkins has been in talks with schools in the LSPC area to discuss the creation of a Korean language program.

In return, Cr Hawkins will extend an invitation for mayor Kim to visit the Liverpool Plains.

The Korean and LPSC mayors met through their mutual sister city, Blacktown City Council, at a 2023 annual event held in Sydney.

Blacktown and LPSC have been sister cities for 30 years, and they will celebrate 13 years with Suseong-gu this year.

Cr Hawkins said through conversations with mayor Kim, he had expressed interest in the LSPC agricultural sector, mainly grain and beef.

"According to Agricon, 25 per cent of our grain goes to Korea," Cr Hawkins said.

The costs of the trip will be covered by a $35,000 grant from the Australia Korea Foundation and will not impact the LSPC budget.

Cr Donna Lawson expressed her delight at the opportunity to strengthen the bonds between these two cities.

"I think the opportunities to grow investments in our region is fantastic," she said during the meeting.

"The fostering of this relationship could have potentially have great agricultural benefits for our economy. Hopefully, these delegations will be a preliminary step that will be followed by a visit to our region."