역사에서 미래를 캐다: 강기정 광주시장, 중국 3개 도시 '복합외교'의 승부수 > K-wave Trends

In Harbin, the first stop of this tour, the focus is on reaffirming the strong historical ties between South Korea and China. The delegation is dedicated to re-examining the anti-Japanese history shared by both nations by following the noble spirit of patriot Ahn Jung-geun and the footsteps of Gwangju-born anti-Japanese musician Zheng Lücheng. The meeting with Harbin Mayor Wang Hesheng will serve as more than just a ceremonial encounter; it will be a bridgehead for building sustainable cultural trust centered on the universal values of democracy and peace. These historical legacies are expected to strengthen the identity of Gwangju as an "Asian Culture Hub City" and serve as a solid spiritual asset to support broad exchanges in culture and arts in the future.

In Beijing, the focus shifts to advanced human networking and city marketing strategies. Mayor Kang will meet with Ms. Zheng Xiaoti, daughter of Zheng Lücheng, to discuss concrete plans to inherit his artistic legacy and integrate it into Gwangju's urban assets. Furthermore, he plans to visit leading Chinese private diplomatic and cultural organizations, such as the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Charhar Institute, to solidify practical cooperation networks. In particular, benchmarking the success of eco-tourism by visiting the Panda House at the 120-year-old Beijing Zoo is interpreted as a strategic move to attract pandas to the Gwangju Uchi Zoo, thereby enhancing the city's brand and diversifying tourism content.

The latter part of the tour focuses on future technology and industrial cooperation centered in Wuhan. Wuhan is considered a global hub city leading the fields of autonomous driving and intelligent connected vehicles within China. As Gwangju was selected as the first autonomous driving demonstration city in Korea this year, the city plans to closely analyze Wuhan's large-scale unmanned autonomous driving commercialization zones. The technical know-how, safety assurance measures, and corporate support policies gained here will be invaluable data that Gwangju must absorb to take the lead in the future car industry.

Inspecting the front lines of advanced manufacturing innovation is also a key task of this trip. Visits to the unmanned automation processes of the Xiaomi smart factory and the humanoid robot center will serve as a practical learning ground to expand the scope of Gwangju's AI industry. Confirming how the robot industry ecosystem is built and how AI technology is optimized and commercialized in manufacturing processes will provide new inspiration and cooperation opportunities for Gwangju's AI companies. Mayor Kang has set a concrete goal of incorporating these innovative industrial policies into Gwangju's core issues to increase policy effectiveness.

This tour exemplifies "complex diplomacy" that cuts across the three keywords of history, ecology, and technology. Beyond simple friendly relations between local governments, Gwangju City aims to lay the groundwork for practical technology sharing and joint research with China's innovation hub cities. This reflects Mayor Kang's determination to secure Gwangju's own independent future growth engine that remains unshaken by changes in the external environment. This two-track strategy, which respects historical values while keeping pace with cutting-edge industrial trends, is an essential process for Gwangju to overcome the limitations of a local city and leap forward as a future city with global competitiveness.