Looking Back on the Shoreline-Boryeong Sister City Relationship

While cities throughout Washington State combine to enjoy over 100 sister city relationships, few local residents know of the relationship between Shoreline, and Boryeong, South Korea, that was forged nearly eight years ago.

Boryeong, commonly known as Daecheon, was the first to extend a formal request to Shoreline to become a sister city after the formation of the Shoreline Sister Cities Association in October 2002. It would be another 12 months, however, before Shoreline would send a 16-person delegation, including then-mayor Scott Jepsen, for a three-day stay to finalize the sister city agreement.

"It was quite exciting as we were a relatively new city with a large Korean population that was very proud of venturing down the path of sister cities," said Jepsen, who served three consecutive terms as mayor. "The reception we received in Boryeong was very formal and full of culture"

While the two cities traded small, more informal visits for several years, a 20-member delegation from Boryeong, that included mayor Shin Joon Hee, made a five-day visit to Shoreline in 2007. During their visit, the group toured several local organizations, with then-mayor Bob Ransom recognizing the week of May 28-June 1 as "Boryeong City Week".

However, while many gifts and much goodwill has been exchanged through the visits between the two cities, the biggest benefit may have come from an agreement between Shoreline Community College and Ajou Motor College in Boryeong. During a 2006 trade visit to Korea, SCC President Lee Lambert met with Ajou President Soo-Hun Lee, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Academic Interchange, which promoted the exchange of students and faculty between the schools. After another trip to Boryeong to formalize the exchange program in early 2007, a delegation of staff and students from Ajou made their first visit to SCC that summer, taking part in a two-week program at the school's Professional Automotive Training Center (PATC). In 2008, 15 students from Shoreline would take part in a similar training program in Boryeong, with Ajou students arriving in Shoreline soon after. Every year since, Ajou students have returned to SCC to take part in the custom ESL/American Culture, and automotive program designed specifically for them.

"The Ajou-Shoreline partnership has provided a rich opportunity for our faculty, staff, and students at SCC," said Pollie McCloskey, the Assistant Director of International Education at the college. "Not only does the exchange program provide and opportunity for the visiting Ajou students to learn from our Automotive and ESL instructors, but it provides an opportunity for our Automotive students, faculty, and staff to learn more about Ajou, the city of Boryeong, and the Korean culture through this partnership.

While the educational exchange has provided numerous students with broadened horizons, the new sense of goodwill and understanding between the cities has been beneficial to the community as well. It's only been eight years, but, as they say in Korea, "Shijaki banida," meaning, a good start in important to any effort.