Glendale adds its eighth sister city

The South Korean city of Boeun-gun in the country’s Chungbuk Province was named Glendale’s eighth sister city by the City Council on Tuesday.

With a 5-0 vote, council members elevated the “friendly city” relationship they’ve had since 2012.

There have been exchange students between the two cities already, with students from South Korea attending Rosemont Middle School to learn about American culture, while local students headed to the Asian nation learn about society there.

Sister-city relations will move forward with additional cultural visits and exchanges.

Four local council members have already visited Boeun-gun, with Mayor Paula Devine being the most recent one this past summer. Councilman Zareh Sinanyan has also been there.

“[Boeun-gun] is a wonderful place. It’s agricultural and, at the same time, it’s very modern,” Sinanyan said. “The schools there are very impressive and Mayor Jung is a great leader for that region. I think it’s a wonderful idea to have full blown sister-city relations with them.”

The sister-city relationship will be made official on Tuesday when Boeun-gun’s Mayor Sang Hyuck Jung will visit Glendale to sign an agreement.

“There would be no better gift to welcome [Jung] than with a sister-city agreement signing,” said Dan Bell, community relations coordinator with the city.

Boeun-gun is Glendale’s third sister city in South Korea — the other two are Goseong and Gimpo.

Glendale also has sister cities in Japan, Mexico, Armenia and the Dominican Republic.