SYDNEY--(Business Wire) May 21, 2015 -- The Premier of the Australian State of New South Wales (NSW) Mr Mike Baird today met with the Mayor of Seoul Mr Park Won-soon during his first official visit to the Republic of Korea.

The meeting took place in Seoul and was held to celebrate 24 years of the Sister State relationship between the NSW and Seoul Metropolitan Government.

“Sydney is home to the largest Korean population in Australia and our cultural ties support the NSW Government’s efforts to further diplomatic relations with Seoul,” Mr Baird said.

“The Republic of Korea is a valued trading partner for the NSW Government and I made it my priority after being re-elected Premier two months ago to undertake my first international mission to Seoul.

“I look forward to developing a closer working relationship with Mr Park over the next four years and hope our Sister State relationship will continue to flourish.”

During the meeting the Premier and Mayor renewed their commitment to the NSW-Seoul Sister State relationship, which has been in place since 1991.

Mr Baird and Mr Park Won-soon today agreed NSW and Seoul would increase collaboration in the following four areas:

· Education
· Sharing economy
· Financial services
· Emergency Management

Mr Baird promoted the strengths of the NSW economy, which is currently the top performing Australian economy, and highlighted opportunities for business investment as a result of the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA).

Sydney’s financial services and ICT sectors were promoted as key drivers of the Australian and NSW economies.

The Premier also expressed the NSW Government’s desire to encourage more Korean students to receive a world-class education at the State’s tertiary and vocational institutions.

More than 13,000 Korean students - 47 per cent of all Korean students in Australia - were enrolled in NSW education institutions as of December 2014.