GARDEN GROVE

As part of his three-day visit here, Joong-Dai Shin, mayor of Garden Grove’s sister city, Anyang, South Korea, attended the opening ceremony of the Korean Festival, held over the weekend.

The Sister City Assn. of Garden Grove was formed in 1989 to help promote cultural understanding through education and exchange programs and to give local residents a way to learn about and communicate with people from other countries.

Each year a Friendship Luncheon, the Mayor’s Ball and a reception during the annual Korean Festival are held in Garden Grove as part of the cultural exchange efforts. The association also offers students a pen-pal and exchange program, along with scholarships to help defray travel costs.

Anyang, which dates to the 6th century, became a city in 1973. It’s near Seoul and has a population of more than 600,000.