Taipei City Government

Led by Mayor Ko Wen-je, the delegation from Taipei City visited Seoul City Hall on July 15. During the meeting with Mayor Park Won Soon, the two leaders exchanged views on a host of city administration issues ranging from public housing to smart buildings.
Ko observed that Seoul has gone a long way in the implementation of public housing policies, boasting 200,000 such units today. Park welcomed Taipei Mayor’s proposal to allow Taipei City staff to learn Seoul’s public housing management.
On the subject of tourism, Ko pointed out that both Taiwan and South Korea have seen growing number of visitors from the other nation. The two mayors have reached a number of agreements in the interest of promoting bilateral tourism, such as granting museum admission fee discounts for each other’s citizens.
Answering media questions about the difference between Taipei City Hall and Seoul City Hall, Ko pointed out that the former is a 20-year-old building while the latter has just been completed in 2012. Taipei has a lot to learn from the green design and intelligent features of the building housing Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Overall, Ko reckoned that Seoul epitomizes the remarkable progress South Korean has achieved over the years. Once on top of the “Four Asian Tigers,” Taiwan has fallen behind with a huge gap. He believes the island should make tremendous effort to catch up.