Jingzhou and Gangneung started friendly exchanges in 1992 and signed a sister city agreement in October 2004. The two cities have maintained close exchanges and cooperation and deep friendship. On February 18, Kim Han-Geun, Mayor of Gangneung, recorded a video cheering Jingzhou up in its fight against Covid-19.

Over the 15 years since establishing international sister city relationship, Jingzhou and Gangneung have maintained friendly relations and two-way exchanges, and carried out pragmatic exchanges in fields such as the people's congress and the parliament, educational cooperation, culture & art, exchange of civil servants and youth exchange. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the Gangneung City Council sent a telegram at the earliest possible time inquiring about Jingzhou's epidemic prevention and control, and established a leading group to study and arrange the work of purchasing badly-needed medical supplies and donating supplies to Jingzhou.