South Korea's capital signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chinese business hub of Shanghai on Tuesday to boost bilateral friendship and cooperation, the city government here said.
   
The MOU, signed between Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and his Shanghai counterpart Yang Xiong in Beijing, calls for the two cities to cooperate in six fields: economy and trade, urban planning, urban traffic, culture and arts, tourism and human resources development.
   
On the economic front, the two cities agreed to provide support to expositions and companies willing to invest in each other's city.
  
Other areas of cooperation include sharing policies and manpower in urban disaster prevention and social welfare, Seoul officials said.
  
It is the first time that Seoul has signed such a deal with Shanghai. Seoul has engaged in active exchange with Beijing since 1993, when both sides reached a sister city agreement.   
  
Park later held an investor relations session for about 50 Chinese businessmen to brief them on Seoul's investment climate and its incentives for foreign investors.
  
Among those on hand were the chief operating officer of Chinese handset manufacturer Huawei and the chairman of the Chinese affiliate of South Korean food and entertainment giant CJ Group, officials said.
   
Park has been on a six-day trip to China since Monday and will later visit two other cities, Sichuan and Shandong. (Yonhap)