On November 22, 2018, a delegation (City Mayor and five members of the city council) from the Capital City Thimphu of Bhutan visited SNUAC. This visit was arranged at the SNUAC-UNITAR Joint Seminar <Sustainable Development Goals and Future Earth> that was held in Jeju Island on the 16-17^th of November.

At the meeting, SNUAC Director SooJin Park explained that “SNUAC will advance as a hub in Asian studies through the construction of a database on Asia” and emphasized that the “year 2019, which marks the tenth anniversary of SNUAC inauguration, is especially an important year for SNUAC.” This visit was important as it can promote the cooperative relationship between Bhutan and Korea regarding projects such as ecotourism and sustainable city development that were also discussed at the joint seminar. The city of Thimphu is currently planning an eco-friendly transportation system and is already exchanging on technological and cultural matters with South Korea’s Green Technology Center.

Kinlay Dorjee, the Thimphu City Mayor, explained that “Bhutan seeks sustainable and environmentally friendly urban development and ecotourism that will also give priority on the uniqueness of Thimphu.” The city of Thimphu, UNITAR JITC, and SNUAC are planning to create a partnership with the goal for sustainable development of Bhutan. These institutions will draw on their expertise based on the city of Thimphu’s needs and continuously discuss future cooperation and exchange projects. Experts from various institutions including Professor Bae-Gyoon Park (Director of the SNUAC Center of Asian Cities), SNUAC research fellows, and other scholars including President of Sungshin University participated in this meeting promoting the feasibility of future cooperative projects.