NEWSLETTER INCHEON SONGDO

INCHEON SONGDO

NEWSLETTER

E-MAIL greenclimatepolicy@korea.kr

On 16 June, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that Songdo International Business District (Songdo IBD) earned precertification of LEED ND (Neighborhood Development) Communities. LEED for Communities addresses sustainability, quality of life, education, prosperity, equity, public health and safety. The announcement was made at the 2017 edition of the New

Cities Summit in Songdo.

“LEED for Cities started in September 2016,” Vatsal Bhatt, Director of Cities and Neighbourhood Developments, USGBC. “We want to really talk about cities’ progress, where they are and where are they going and to measure this progress. We certify them based on their progress.”

This certification provides cities and communities with a framework for recording, measuring and managing the performance of water consumption, energy use, human experience, waste and transportation through Green Business Certification Inc.’s (GBCI) new Arc performance platform.

“Cities face many challenges in this day and age - citizens are demanding more transparency and information about the places where they live, work, learn and play,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, chief executive officer and president of USGBC and GBCI. “And now more than ever, local governments are laboratories of innovation and social problem solving.”

Songdo has already 18 buildings certified with LEED NC (New Construction), including Songdo Convensia, the Sheraton Incheon Hotel, the clubhouse at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Course Korea and the Songdo International School.

“It means a lot to us as we are making Songdo and other areas in IFEZ smarter and greener,” said Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Jeong-bok Yoo. “Residents in Songdo will be proud of the environment where they can save energy and do something for our next generation.”

Songdo IBD is widely recognized as the world’s first greenfield, sustainable “smart” city. Since construction began just over 10 years ago, it has grown to include more than 1,300 retail and hospitality businesses and numerous international corporations and NGOs. With nearly 70 percent of its space built out, Songdo IBD is home to 22 million square feet of LEED-certified space.

Currently, the business district accounts for 40 percent of all LEED-certified space in South Korea.

Songdo, World’s first LEED-ND Community

Stronger cooperation between Incheon and Mongolia

Mayor Jeong-bok Yoo of Incheon paid a courtesy call on Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbedorj on 24 May and discussed bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various sectors from the environment to industry and economy. He is one of the few Koreans invited to the Mongolian Government Palace.

President Tsakhia Elbedorj said he appreciated Incheon for its Forest of Hope project, which is funded with public-private resources and celebrates its 10th year in 2017. And he hoped for stronger cooperation not only in the environment but also in agriculture, industry and urban development.

“Incheon will continue the Incheon Forest of Hope project to respond to global climate change and local fine particle pollution.” said Mayor Yoo. “And we are also going to pursue active international cooperation with international organizations such as the Green Climate Fund and other UN agencies in Incheon”

The Incheon Forest of Hope project was launched in 2008 to deal with desertification and the resulting yellow dust. So far 98,000 trees have been planted in 670,000

㎡ of land in Bayan Nur Sum and Dashinchilen Sum. This year 58 volunteers planted 300 poplar trees, watered 200 trees and created a new reservoir. On 26 May,

they paired with local people for a cultural exchange event. Mayor Yoo also participated in the tree-planting ceremony and discussed the future of the project.

Mayor also met Minister D.Oyunkhorol of Environment and Tourism to talk about how to tackle common environmental problems and received an appreciation plaque on behalf of Incheon citizens.

During his meeting with Mayor Sundui Batbold of Ulaanbaatar on 23 May, Mayor Yoo concluded a sisterhood relationship between the two cities and promised bilateral exchanges and cooperation down the road. With the signing, the bilateral relationship has been upgraded from a friendship city relationship, which was formed in 2011.

In addition, he signed a memorandum of understanding for the training invitation of the Mongolian national wrestling team to Incheon. Visiting Bayangol Hospital, he had a discussion related to Incheon’s medical support program for Asian cities, which has been in operation since 2007. The program gave 118 children with heart conditions a new life in 10 cities of 9 countries, including 19 in the Mongolian capital.

Incheon volunteers and Mongolian residents celetrated the 10th anniversary of the Incheon Forest of Hope project.

INCHEON SONGDO NEWSLETTER

Incheon has led Korea’s national development through the world’s finest airport and free economic zones built around it. This is why Incheon is focusing on the aerospace industry through a recently completed road map. Incheon is committed to open a new path for the Korean aerospace industry centered on the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ).

Songdo International Business District has grown into an aerospace R&D hub. The Aerospace Campus is fostering talented student, and the Mutual Research Lab, NASA’s first in Asia scheduled to open in Incheon, will pioneer new paths in space exploration.

In addition, the Creative School of GE is expected to serve as a creative platform for making the limitless potential of the aerospace industry into reality.

At the center of the ambitious plan is Inha University.

It became the first Asian University to agree to a Space Act Agreement (SAA) for collaborative research with NASA Langley Center. The SAA is an agreement on a nongovernmental level that allows the university to participate in NASA’s space development research, which was approved at the end of March by the US government and NASA headquarters.

Following the SAA with the NASA Langley Research Center, Sang Hyouk Choi, a senior scientist at NASA and alumnus of Inha University, and Robert Bryant of the Langley Research Center paid a five-day visit to Inha University starting 17 April to meet students and researchers.

According to the SAA, Inha University will take part in the development of a spacecraft for deep space exploration which is being pursued by the NASA Langley Research Center. The spacecraft that will be jointly developed will travel to and from Mars and Jupiter using solar energy.

The accord says Inha University and the research center will conduct basic research on a launch vehicle in South Korea and then carry out simulation exercises and substantial tests at the center located in Virginia.

The test-launch of the spacecraft is set for 2025.

Meanwhile, Incheon city and Inha University unveiled a strategy to make a cluster for aerospace research and development in Songdo after the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MTIE) designated Songdo as an academic-industrial convergence zone last December.

Construction of the zone will start in October this year and end in January 2019.

Songdo has NASA’s

first research center in Asia

Launch of Incheon Climate and

Environment Research Center

Incheon now has an official think-tank for its climate and environmental policies. Launched on 15 May and located on the 23rd floor of G-Tower, the Incheon Climate and Environment Research Center (ICERC) will help the city of Incheon formulate locally tailored and environmentally smart policies.

It sets three objectives: rendering Incheon one of the cities that lead global climate change response, building a climate and green business frontier, and making a climate smart and environmentally friendly city.

Initial tasks for its first year include writing up an Incheon GHG reduction roadmap, conducting climate change policy research for local districts, consulting on the emission trading system and attracting international conferences. In addition, the ICERC is expected to work together with international organizations such as the Green Climate Fund, the Global Green Growth Institute and the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development.

Stronger medical infrastructure in Incheon

■ Specialized Hospital Complex in Songdo

On 15,234㎡of land in Sondgo’s Knowledge and Information Complex, a specialized hospital complex (SHC) will be created by May 2020. The SHC project is valued at $220 million, and more than 500 beds will be placed.

The project is carried out by a consortium of five hospitals:

Malaysian medical investment firm GPSB, Sejong General Hospital, HanGil Eye Hospital, Yeson Hostpital (orthopedics), Dain Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, and New Korea Hospital (general). The consortium is

expected to attract 16.67% of its capital through foreign investments.

The complex will accommodate 100 inpatients in orthopedics, 100 in cardiovascular service, 80 in ENT, 60 in internal medicine, 50 in ophthalmology, and the rest for obstetrics and genecology, urology, proctology and others.

■ Medical Tourism Cluster for Northeast Asia

Incheon’s another feat in medical infrastructure is that

the city was selected by the Ministry of culture, Sports and Tourism to take the lead in promoting medical tourism and thereby secure $1.76 billion in funding from the central government.

The city plans to take its transportational advantage of having an international airport and a port in order to connect five points of Songdo, Cheongna, Yeongjong, Ganghwa Island and China’s Weihai. The so-called Pentagon project is expected to facilitate medical accessibility for medical tourists in Northeast Asia.

INCHEON SONGDO NEWSLETTER

The tunnel is 1.64-kilometers long, 2-meters high and 2-meters wide.

■ Dorasan Station

Dorasan Station is one of the northernmost railway stations on the Gyeongui Line, connecting Seoul to Sinuiju in the North. The station is located in the zone that strictly restricts general civilian access. From the station, visitors can view the barbed wire fences of the Southern Limit Line.

Traditional Korean culture experience programs and a field trip to DMZ

Cooking class of Korean sweet rice desserts and flower rice pancake (28 April)

Songdo expats had exciting opportunities to know Korean culture and history. Incheon city organized traditional Korean culture experience programs in spring where participants learned about Korean 12 animal signs and traditional Korean paper or Hanji , and made traditional Korean sweet rice desserts and fresh flower sweet rice pancake.

On 10 June, 27 of Songdo expats had a meaningful field trip to the demilitarized zone (DMZ), which is one of the most heavily armed borders in the world.

Though it sounds scary, the DMZ tour is safe and popular among foreigners visiting Korea. The DMZ is a buffer zone between the two Koreas, which was

established on 27 July, 1953 when the Armistice Agreement was signed during the Korean War. Looking around and walking around historically important areas, participants feel the hops and wishes of Koreans for a unified Korean Peninsula.

■ Imjingak

Established in 1972 immediately after the declaration of the joint South-North armistice, Imjingak Pavilion exhibits various relics and monuments related to the Korean War.

■ The 3rd Tunnel

Discovered in 1978, the 3rd tunnel was dug by the Northern army to spy on their Southern counterparts.

Songdo used to have everything one could think of - except one: a cultural space. Despite the increasing population and rising number of visitors year after year, Songdo had little for those with a cultural thirst.

This is about to change. Triple Street, a street-type cultural space spread along the downtown area to emit a unique charm, is changing the summer landscape of Songdo.

On 9 May, the cumulative number of visitors to the

newly opened Triple Street exceeded a million. The interest in and enthusiasm for the new venue are close to starting a new fad. Entering the building, visitors can see a bunch of Pikachus fill up every corner of the market. To celebrate its grand opening, it hosted the hit event Poketmon World Festival from 29 April to 21 May. The craze for “Poketmon go,” a game of augmented reality, also contributed to making a strong impression of the new space on the public.

Under the theme, “three streets great for a stroll,”

Triple Street has harmonized its shopping space, outdoor facilities and interactive content. In other words, it prepares spaces where all age groups can have a good time.

The first space is Ground Street which stretches over-ground. More than 200 brand stores fill up the building to present an exciting shopping experience.

In addition, people can enjoy films in Songdo at a new multiplex with eight screens and 1,500 seats.

Located underground, Under Street is a cultural complex for food. Famous restaurants please the eyes and palates of visitors. The entertainment plaza serves as a space for artistic sensation and cultural events.

On Park Street is Sky observatory, which boasts a beautiful view of Songdo at a glance. Though not as high as G-Tower, the most famous observatory, Sky has its own unique charm.

Triple Street, great for a s troll and a cultural space

INCHEON SONGDO NEWSLETTER

Yeongjong Seaside Park

Yeongjongdo Island is located in southwest Incheon.

With Incheon Bridge and Yeongjong Grand Bridge, people can go to the island as if it was located on land.

The island boasts beautiful nature and unique tourism resources.

In April, Seaside Park on the island opened as a theme park showing the special identity of the Island, covering 1,771,000㎡.

Yeongjong Fort and Fortress, salt pans were restored, and an outdoor swimming pool, bike roads, an observation platform were created.

Visitors can enjoy rail biking and camping in Yeongjong Seaside Park. The rail stretches 2.8km along the coast of the park near Yeongjong Sky City.

Rail bike riders can relish the coastal view of Incheon, including Incheon Bridge, Songdo International City and Wolmi Island.

Paradise Casino Resort opened near Incheon International Airport

The Paradise City casino resort in Incheon unveiled its first phase on 20 April. The property is located close to Incheon International Airport.

The initially opened part consists of a casino, a hotel and a conference-cum-banquet facility. Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. and South Korea’s Paradise Co Ltd. set up a joint venture, Paradise Sega Sammy Co Ltd., to develop and operate Paradise City. The manager says the Paradise City casino will be a game-changer for South Korea’s tourism industry. Company chairman and chief executive Chun Phil-Lip said, “This will be the first integrated resort in Northeast Asia and I [think] will change the paradigm of [the] local tourism industry.”

The total investment for the 330,000-square-metre (3.58 million-sq-foot) site stands at around $1.12 billion.

The property’s casino will feature 154 game tables, 281 slot machines and four installations of electronic games

offering an aggregate of 62 seats. A 711-room hotel feature suites and pool villa accommodation. The casino resort also includes entertainment facilities, restaurants and bars, health and beauty facilities and play areas for children.

A second phase – to open in the first half of 2018 – will add further entertainment and leisure offerings as well as a boutique hotel.

Paradise City boasts its artistic features. As many as 2,740 artworks create a high-end ambience in and out of the resort. For one, a giant yellow pumpkin sculpture by celebrated Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama greets visitors in the lobby. British conceptual artist Damien Hirst and Italian architect Alessandro Mendini also added their artworks. The resort is expected to receive 1.5 million tourists and generate $371 million in its first year.

From Centre of Seoul : 40 minutes by railway and car

From Incheon Airport : 3 minutes by monorail, 10 minutes by walking 186, Yeongjonghaeannam-ro 321-gil, Jung-gu, Incheon, Korea +82-1833-8855

p-city@paradian.com

Songdo is becoming a center for arts and cultural exchange, attracting tourists home and abroad.

Recently a new cultural complex has opened its doors - CAISSON24.

CAISSON24 is an arts and cultural platform on the caisson site of about 13,223㎡, which was used to bring in building materials and to construct a pier structure of Incheon Bridge.

The new cafe is designed as an arts and cultural complex for video watching, music listening, artworks exhibition, coffee and tea drinking, and dining and wining. Its outdoor terrace has a panoramic seaside view of Songdo and the campus of Incheon National University.

Incheon, building on the new cultural platform, plans to create lively and unique street culture in Songdo in cooperation with schools, businesses, citizens and relevant institutions.

Furthermore, Incheon is going to actively promote the cultural place as a perfect location for commercial ads, music videos, dramas, films and photography.

12-8, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon +82-32-672-2782

CAISSON24

A new cultural attraction in Songdo New BRT lines will open

Songdo−Jamsil, Songdo−Yeouido

Coming September, new bus rapid transit (BRT) lines from Songdo to Jamsil and from Songdo to Yeouido will open, delivering more convenience to citizens.

What is special about the new routes is that they are designed to help commuters, especially during peak hours. Based on the preliminary plan, each route will have four metropolitan buses (M buses) that travel 8 times a day.

Once the new M bus lines open, the biggest benefit will go to workers commuting from Songdo to Jamsil or Yeouido and students who attend local universities, including Incheon National University and Yonsei University.