Changwon has inked a sister-city pact with Guadalajara in Mexico. Changwon Mayor Park Wan-su and Guadalajara Mayor Ramiro Hernández García signed the agreement last Friday.

Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco State in central Mexico, is the country's second largest city with a population of 1.58 million and the mecca of Mexico's IT industry.

Changwon and Guadalajara plan exchanges in various economic, cultural, education and tourism projects. As a permanent member of the International Association of Educating Cities, Changwon hopes the pact with Guadalajara will lead to other exchanges with cities in the Americas.
Changwon's trend-setting public bicycle rental system and Guadalajara's metro bus system both aim to improve the environment for citizens by reducing carbon emissions. The cities hope to cooperate in eco policies.

Mayor Park described the pact as "milestone" and said he hopes the relationship will lead to "common prosperity as international partners."