Emphasis on infrastructure established by 15 international organizations
Pan-Citizen Attraction Committee – Signed to attract 1.1 million people
Fierce competition from Gyeongju-Jeju-Busan etc.
“Incheon is an investment hub with Korea’s largest free economic zone, making it an optimal city to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.”
In a lecture held in Incheon last November, Professor Vinod Agarwal of the University of California, Berkeley, a master of international politics, said, “Incheon’s intellectual assets are where 15 international organizations, including the World Bank (WB) Korea office, are located.” “APEC will be able to fully utilize the infrastructure and infrastructure,” he said. Professor Agarwal, who serves as the director of UC Berkeley’s APEC Research Institute, cited accessibility as an advantage of Incheon, saying, “It is Korea’s aviation gateway, has excellent accessibility to Seoul, and has extensive experience in hosting large-scale international events.” He added, “APEC summit to be held in Korea. “Incheon is a suitable location for the conference,” he said.
The APEC Summit, where over 6,000 leaders from 21 Asia-Pacific countries, including Korea, the United States, China, and Japan, gather to discuss economic cooperation, will be held in Korea next November, 20 years after it was held in Busan in 2005. Competition is intensifying as Incheon, Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, Jeju, and Busan enter the bidding war.
Incheon is making every effort to attract APEC, claiming that it is the city that best meets the goals pursued. APEC is pursuing three major goals: trade and investment, innovation and digital economy, and inclusive and sustainable growth. Incheon City emphasizes that it is the world’s largest cutting-edge bio production base, home to companies such as Samsung BioLogics, and also serves as Korea’s largest free economic zone. In addition, Incheon’s history of leading Korea’s modern industry starting with the opening of Incheon Port in 1883 is also highlighted as a strength.
Incheon is home to 15 international organizations, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and has excellent transportation and facility infrastructure, including Incheon International Airport and Songdo Convensia, an international conference facility. Receive. There are hundreds of people residing at international organizations in Songdo, such as the World Bank’s Korea office and UN agencies. Incheon also has experience successfully hosting large-scale international events, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) World Forum in 2018 and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual General Meeting last year.
Incheon also emphasizes that the economic effect of hosting APEC is greater than that of competing cities. The Incheon Research Institute analyzed that hosting the APEC summit would have an economic stimulation effect of approximately 2.4 trillion won and create 20,000 jobs. The Gyeongbuk Research Institute will have an economic effect of KRW 1.43 trillion and create jobs for about 7,900 people in the Gyeongbuk region when it is hosted in Gyeongju, and the Jeju Research Institute will have a local economic effect of KRW 1.7 trillion and create jobs for about 7,200 people when it is hosted in Jeju. It was analyzed that it was expected.
Incheon City has formed a pan-citizen attraction committee starting in 2022, and received signatures from 1.1 million citizens last year and submitted them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, this year, we are focusing our efforts on attracting the Incheon citizen club by strengthening public relations with the residents, such as including a phrase wishing to attract the city on the uniform of the ‘Incheon United Soccer Team’.
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “We will make Incheon a global business hub by hosting the APEC summit,” and added, “We will make all preparations by gathering all of Incheon citizens and capabilities.” An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Considering the preparation period, we plan to select the host city as soon as possible,” and added, “We will select the host city through a transparent and fair review.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.