Annyeonghaseyo, SATX. You may have remembered our story on San Antonio’s sister city Monterrey, Mexico.

Today, we want to share our deep connection to another city across the globe — Gwangju, South Korea. Here’s a quick recap. Gwangju is considered to be one of San Antonio’s 12 sister cities.

According to Sister Cities International, “A sister city is a broad-based, long-term partnership between two communities in two countries.”

Both cities began to establish a relationship in 1981 (see document) with the goal of engaging citizens to build global community partnerships + promote volunteer action.

More in common than you think…

You might say “what could we possibly have in common with a city 7,082 miles away?”

Well, Gwangju serves as the capital city of the Chollanam-do Province and acts as a governmental, cultural, and artistic center with important ties to auto manufacturing + information technology — hmmm, sounds familiar? (Hint: read this)

The city also hosts the Biennale Arts Festivalthat has attracted visitors from all parts of the world — sounds like a Fiesta to us.

Originally set for this year, the 14th edition of the festival was postponed and will take place a year from now on April 7-July 9 (field trip, anyone?).

A bit of Gwangju in San Antonio…

In 2010, the City of Gwangju presented San Antonio with the Korean Pagoda that currently resides in Denman Estate Park.

What better time than now to get a taste of authentic South Korean cuisine in San Antonio? Visit your local AAPI-owned restaurant, food truck, or market participating in the AAPI Heritage Month Restaurant Passport.

Let us know if you’d like to hear more about one of our other sister cities — perhaps Guadalajara, Mexico or Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain?