In an interview with Xinhua Daily, Seo Dae Won shared his special bond with Nanjing, saying he’s grateful to Jiangsu for recognizing his efforts with the award and the six years in the province have brought him many friends but much more than friendship.
Today, Nanjing is home to most South Korean companies in Jiangsu. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the sister city relationship in 2014, Daejeon Science Park and Nanjing High-tech Industrial Development Zone signed a memorandum of friendship and cooperation. This year, Nanjing New Port Development Zone will also enter a friendship agreement with the Daejeon Creative Economy and Innovation Center. In commenting on the progress, Seo said the friendship between Nanjing and Daejeon is on a long-term basis just a steady stream.
After six years, Seo has traveled around the province. "It is my greatest pleasure to introduce Daejeon or South Korean people and businesses to my friends. I feel very happy every time I introduce my work or help people make new friends. I feel that this is not a job, but the mutual help between friends."
Keeping in mind the pursuit of friendship, Seo has gained far more than just friends. At present, Jiangsu has nine cities that have cooperation and exchange activities with Daejeon. "The growth of Jiangsu in recent years is plain for everybody to see. Besides cities like Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing, our enterprises also want to go to the northern Jiangsu region to tap the market and achieve development together."
As a Friendly Ambassador of Jiangsu Province, Seo takes into considerations of both sides. Big companies are already supplying each other's needs, in his view, and it’s time for SOEs in China and South Korea to accelerate their pace of cooperation and exchange. He said that "Good friends should have more visits and exchanges, and together we will make the future better."