Inspired by new projects highlighting Kudara (Baekje) culture in the area, Misato actively pursues a range of international exchange initiatives. These activities have led to the signing of a sister town agreement between Nango district in Misato Town (formerly Nango Village) and the town of Buyeo in the Republic of Korea. 　The dispatch of the first fact-finding mission from Nango to Korea in 1986 was the start of an ongoing series of trips and visits by academic survey teams, municipal officers, assembly members and youth and children’s groups. 　Goodwill and tourist visits rapidly grew in frequency, with trips to Korea by many Nango representatives such as the then-mayor of the village, municipal assembly members and junior high school students, together with the visit to Nango by 180 members of the Korean youth league. In 1990, some 1300 people participated in such activities. 　The visit by Kim Jong Pil, the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, provided further impetus to the exchange activities, and in 1990 the opening of the Kudara no Yakata facility was attended by a large Korean contingent including a cultural envoy headed by the Chairman of the Korean international cultural association, the top Samulnori music ensemble in Korea (led by Kim Duk Soo), the President of the International PEN Club of Korea, National Assembly members, and a delegation from the town of Buyeo. 　These exchange activities and encouragement from Korean counterparts led eventually to the signing, in 1991, of a sister town agreement between Nango and Buyeo town in the Buyeo district of Korea, the ancient capital of the Kudara (Baekje) kingdom and center of the Kudara culture that flourished 1300 years ago. 　Buyeo town, situated in the Southwest of Chungcheongnam-do province in the center of the Korean peninsula, has an area of 5884 square kilometers and a population of roughly 28,000. Much of the rich culture of Kudara is preserved in the town, which was the last capital of the Kudara kingdom. 　The sister town agreement prompted a new round of exchange activities, such as academic exchange on the theme of Kudara between groups of archeologists and anthropologists, reciprocal goodwill visits by various groups, a yearly program of two-way student exchange and homestay visits between Nango junior high school and its sister school in Buyeo, and exchange between participants in Nango’s Shiwasu Festival and Buyeo’s Baekje Cultural Festival. 　Such exchange activities fostered an interest in the Korean language and Korean culture amongst local residents. From 1990 onwards, Nango has employed a Coordinator for International Exchange from Korea who runs Korean language classes as well as introducing locals to Korean culture and facilitating further Japan-Korea exchange. 　These initiatives have received media attention from both countries: in Japan they have been highlighted on NHK and Fuji television stations, while in Korea there has been large scale coverage in Chosun Ilbo newspaper as well as on MBC and SBS, to name a few. 　Nango’s Kudara-themed attractions include signage and notices in the Korean language, paving stones and roof tiles carved with traditional Korean patterns, displays on Korean culture, the ‘Kizuna no Suzu’ bell given to Nango by Buyeo town as a symbol of friendship and goodwill, and Korean jangseung totem poles. The district provides a unique opportunity to experience the culture of Korea and Kudara close-up, right here in Japan. 　The lively program of exchange activities has resulted in a heightened interest in and fondness for Korea in the local community. Many locals can now greet and introduce themselves in fluent Korean. ■Exchange activities 1 ■Exchange activities 2