Buffalo State Welcomes Delegation from South Korea: November 2

Buffalo’s latest sister city is Yeong Cheon, South Korea, thanks in large part to the efforts of Rebecca Reilly, who is pursuing a master’s degree in creative studies.

Reilly, who speaks Korean, joined the Buffalo Ambassadors, a group that welcomes visitors to Buffalo through Visit Buffalo Niagara. “I wanted to keep my Korean current,” said Reilly, “and I met Emerson Barr, Buffalo’s liaison to the sister cities program. He expressed an interest in developing a sister cities program with a city in Korea.”

So Reilly reached out to the Korean community in Western New York. “I attended church services,” she said, “and I met a professor who suggested the city of Yeong Cheon.” A delegation from Yeong Cheon visited Buffalo in early 2011, and the two cities decided it was a match.

On Wednesday, November 2, Yeong Cheon and Buffalo will make it official by signing a sister city agreement at the Buffalo Common Council—before a visit to the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State.

“The delegation visited Creative Studies on its first visit,” said Reilly, “and it was a great success. Jo Yudess [lecturer in creativity] used storyboarding, which helped us communicate directly despite the language barrier.” Jaeky Yu, another creative studies student and a native of Korea, translated.

“We’re very excited to have them here again,” said Yudess. “And they are very interested in making connections with Buffalo. One of their industries involves manufacturing parts for high-speed rails, so they are interested in business connections in New York. They are also very excited about many aspects of our culture, and the creative studies program is, of course, a draw for many international students.”

The seven-person delegation from Yeong Cheon includes its mayor, Young-suk Kim, and Ki-taek Jeong, the president of the Yeong Cheon City Council. The campus community is invited to welcome them on Wednesday, November 2, at 9:00 a.m. in Chase Hall 235. Afterward, the delegation will tour the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

The Yeong Cheon delegation will return for the International Social Hour at 3:00 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 208, where they will be joined by a group of students from Brazil, who are in Western New York as part of an exchange program with UB.

“It’s going to be an exciting day,” said Reilly, “and I’m thrilled that Buffalo State is part of it.”