Gangwon Province
- Alberta-Gangwon cooperation began in the 1970s with a joint beef ranching demonstration.
- The 1974 Alberta-Gangwon twinning was the first of Alberta’s strategic sister province relationships. Most of these relationships involved education, culture and sport exchanges, although the focus is now shifting towards economic interests.
- Alberta has posted three officials to Gangwon since 1998 and several Gangwon officials have worked in Alberta in the past. Mr. Dae-kyoung Jeon was the most recent Gangwon representative in Alberta in 2005.
- 2004 marked the 30th Anniversary of Alberta-Gangwon sister province relations. In June 2004, the White Buffalo Drummers and Dancers Society, an Edmonton-based Aboriginal group, travelled to Gangneung City to represent Alberta at the Gangneung International Folklore Festival.
Agreements
- The Alberta-Gangwon sister province agreement was signed on September 3, 1974. This agreement was re-affirmed on June 8, 2004.
- Since 1974, Alberta has participated in numerous sports exchanges with Gangwon including:
- alpine skiing
- boxing
- cycling
- fencing
- soccer
- team handball
- tennis
- whitewater canoeing
- wrestling
- An Economic Cooperation Agreement between the Cities of Edmonton and Wonju was signed in 1998.
- In May 2005, Alberta Innovation and Science signed a letter of intent with the Gangwon Department of Industry and Economy to promote research and development cooperation in the areas of advanced materials, biotechnology, and information and communication technology.
- Gangwon's other Sister Provinces/States include:
- Jilin Province, China
- Mpumalanga, South Africa
- Primorskii Territory, Russia
- State of Colorado, USA
- Totori Prefecture, Japan
Culture & Education
- Gangwon National University and the University of Alberta have been formally affiliated since 1983.
- Since 1984, the University of Alberta's KTEP, now called the Kangwon Teachers of Education Program, has assisted over 400 Gangwon teachers to hone their English language teaching skills. All participants come from Gangwon province.
- Hallym University in Gangwon Province has had medical exchanges with both the Universities of Alberta and Calgary.
- Two Alberta high schools have twinnings with a junior high school in Gangwon.
- Alberta and Gangwon award reciprocal scholarships to students to study in their respective sister province.
- Approximately 8,000 Albertans are of Korean descent. Active Korean community associations have been established in Calgary and Edmonton. In addition to providing assistance to newly arrived immigrants, these associations help to preserve Korean culture and identity.
- As a Centennial gift to Alberta and to mark the 30th Anniversary of Alberta-Gangwon sister province relations, Gangwon undertook the construction of a Korean-style pavilion on the grounds near Government House in Edmonton.
- In 2004, Premier Ralph Klein received an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science from Kangwon National University in Gangwon, Korea.
Investment & Trade
- Trade between Alberta and Gangwon is limited and indirect, mainly involving agriculture and food products.
- Following the lead of the Korean government, Gangwon is streamlining its regulations to attract foreign investment capital.
- The first Alberta-Gangwon Technology Forum was held in Gangwon to promote collaborative research projects, resulting in biotechnology research collaboration between researchers in Alberta and Gangwon. The second forum was held in Banff, Alberta in May 2006.
Recent Visits
- June 2006: The Gangwon Livestock Delegation visited Alberta to learn livestock technology and visit the livestock facilities.
- May 2006: The second Alberta-Gangwon Technology Forum was held in Banff, Alberta. The first Forum was held in May, 2005 in Gangwon to promote collaborative research projects, resulting in biotechnology research collaboration between Alberta and Gangwon researchers.
- October 2005: Gangwon's Governor Jin-sun Kim led a delegation to Alberta to celebrate Alberta's Centennial and to mark the 30th Anniversary of Alberta-Gangwon sister province relations by dedicating a Korean-style pavilion to Alberta.
- October 2004: A 17-person science and technology delegation, led by Mr. Gun-Sick Lee, Director General, Industry and Economy Bureau of the Gangwon Provincial Government, visited Alberta to explore linkages in research and technology.
- June 2004: Premier Klein led a delegation to Gangwon Province during his mission to Korea. In recognition of the 30th Anniversary of the Alberta-Gangwon twinning, Premier Klein met with Governor Jin-sun Kim signed the Reaffirmation of Friendship and Affiliation between the two provinces.
- November 2002: Gangwon's Vice Governor for Political Affairs, Mr. Su-bok Park, visited Alberta.