A few days ago, I was casually looking at the names of various cities on a wall at San Antonio Airport.

One name caught my eye.

Gwangju, South Korea.

Is that the Gwangju in Jeollado? I looked it up, and it was indeed correct.

Not only that, but San Antonio and Gwangju have been sister cities since February 4, 1982.

It's been over 40 years already.

But what exactly does it mean to be sister cities?

In simple terms, it's an official agreement between two cities in different countries to engage in long-term exchanges at the local government level.

While smaller in scale than diplomatic relations between countries, they maintain connections by sending people and hosting events in areas like culture, education, youth, universities, economy, and arts.

San Antonio describes its sister city program as a form of citizen diplomacy through exchanges among residents.

At first, I thought it might just be a matter of mayors meeting, taking a photo, and exchanging plaques.

However, upon researching the relationship between Gwangju and San Antonio, I found surprisingly many tangible connections.

A notable example is the traditional Korean pavilion located in Denman Estate Park in San Antonio.

It was donated by Gwangju in 2010, and after being crafted in Gwangju, artisans from Korea came to San Antonio to assemble it.

It's said to have been built using traditional methods without nails.

Even now, the city of San Antonio promotes it as one of the attractions in the park.

San Antonio didn't just sit back, either.

In return, a San Antonio artist created a piece titled 'Sister Cities, Light of Friendship,' which was donated to Gwangju.

In 2019, the two cities renewed their agreement to continue exchanges in culture, education, and industry.

The exchanges are not just a thing of the past.

In 2022, a special exhibition on contemporary art related to Gwangju was held at Artpace in San Antonio to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their sister city relationship, and in 2024, a student volunteer group from San Antonio visited Gwangju.

In 2025, a faculty delegation from Alamo College will visit universities in Gwangju, and a memorandum of understanding will be signed with Gwangju University. In June 2026, a faculty delegation from UTSA will visit major universities in Gwangju to meet with officials.

So, being sister cities doesn't mean that citizens receive any special benefits or that Gwangju citizens get tax breaks when they come to San Antonio.

The key is to establish official channels for exchanges between the cities.

When engaging in activities like student exchanges, artist invitations, university collaborations, economic delegations, and cultural events, it becomes much easier than starting from scratch with an unfamiliar city.

It's quite fascinating to think about. It's not Seoul or Busan, but San Antonio in the heart of Texas has been connected with Gwangju in Jeollado since 1982.

When I spotted the name Gwangju on the airport wall, I thought, 'Oh, there's a city in Korea,' but knowing the backstory changes my perspective.

Somewhere in San Antonio, there's a pavilion from Gwangju, and on the other side of the world in Gwangju, there's a piece sent from San Antonio.

Wow, this is more than just a name on a list of sister cities; it's a long-standing relationship that has lasted over 40 years. Hahaha