“What an honor for us to be able to influence planning in South Korea,” said Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson as he welcomed that country’s director of public administration and home affairs, who will study Snoqualmie’s development practices over the next 18 months.

Director Mun Young Hoon said he hoped his visit would help him develop a more “modernized strategy” to make rural life more appealing to South Koreans, who have been drawn to larger cities like Seoul. Snoqualmie will serve as Mun’s base as he studies livability, infrastructure and design policies around King County.

At an April 14 reception at the Salish Lodge, elected officials, city employees and business leaders from all over the Valley greeted Mun, his wife Jaehyun Kang, and son Charlie Mun, who starts classes at Snoqualmie Middle School this week.