Seoul City set to help Ukraine rebuild war-damaged city infrastructure

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, September 26, 2023 | 08:22

Foreign Affairs

Seoul City set to help Ukraine rebuild war-damaged city infrastructure

Posted : 2023-05-25 16:58

Updated : 2023-05-25 17:00

Ukrainian soldiers pass by homes destroyed by Russian shelling in Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Nov. 10, 2022. AP-Yonhap

By Lee Hae-rin

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will share its post-war city rebuilding knowhow in order to help Ukraine recover from Russia's invasion, the city government said, Thursday.

Ukrainian politician Andriy Nikolayenko and the city governments of Irpin and Bucha of Ukraine proposed the idea to the Seoul government, Tuesday (local time), to cooperate on rebuilding Ukraine's war-torn city infrastructure during a recent international conference held in Warsaw, Poland.

The event, which took place from Monday to Tuesday and brought government officials, companies, scholars and researchers from Korea, Poland and Ukraine together to discuss and establish plans for the war-torn country's economic recovery. Over 150 participants, including officials of the Seoul Housing & Communities Corp., an organization affiliated with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, joined the conference.

Ukrainian politician Andriy Nikolayenko, third from right, speaks to Seoul Metropolitan Government officials during an international conference on Ukraine's post-war recovery in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

As a city that rose from the devastation of the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul promised to share its post-war experience and knowhow in building infrastructure, city governance and development models with Ukraine.

The city government plans to propose eco-friendly smart city development models benchmarking Sangam Digital Media Center (DMC) and Magok in southwestern Seoul.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon met with Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska at City Hall last Wednesday during her visit to Korea as a special envoy and discussed how the capital can help the war-torn nation with humanitarian aid, the rebuilding of infrastructure and cultural cooperation.

Seoul and Ukraine have had ties since 2016.

In 2017, Seoul worked with Kyiv to install its nighttime bus route optimization model and improve the city's transport system. At the beginning of last year, Seoul was installing a smart public transport system with the help of the World Bank, which came to a halt due to Russia's invasion.

The Seoul government will continue pledging to support Ukraine's recovery efforts by actively participating in relevant discussions and projects, the city government said.

lhr@koreatimes.co.kr