INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Apr.24, 2017 NO.9NASA Research Center as a First in Asia in Songdo
Inha University 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 participation in NASA’s space development research, which was approved by the US government and NASA headquarters at the end of March.
Following a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with the NASA Langley Research Center, Sang Hyouk Choi, PhD (Mechanical Engineering ’64), a senior scientist at NASA and alumnus of Inha University, and Robert Bryant, PhD, of the Langley Research Center paid a five-day visit to Inha University and starting April 17 to meet with 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 industry-university convergence zone last December.
The Incheon Industry-University Convergence Institute has been recently approved by the MTIE, giving momentum to the project of creating in Songdo a world-class platform for aerospace R&D. The total valuation of the project is $51.5 million.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Apr.24, 2017 NO.9Paradise Casino Resort opened near Incheon International Airport
The Paradise City casino resort in Incheon
launched its first phase on April 20. The property is located close to Incheon International Airport.
Theinitial phase of Paradise City will consist 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 amount for the 330,000-square-metre (3.58 million-sq-foot) site stands at around KRW1.3 trillion (US$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 – included in the first phase – will 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 to the complex, and 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.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Apr.24, 2017 NO.9Songdo Complex Theme Park groundbreaking within 2017
A complex theme park of about 500,000 square meters will be created in Songdo.
Incheon city and BuyoungGroup held a press conference on April 17 to release the master plan to construct a complex theme park, Buyoung Songdo Theme Park in Songdo by 2020.
Major playing facilities include “All Ways Incheon Hall,” where users can discover Incheon’ s attractions and natural beauty while enjoying a ride in a flying theater; “Gardens of the World’s Masterpieces,” a boat riding system combined with state-of-the-art hologram technology; “Super Gyro Tower” whose height is over 150m; “Doomoo Jin Marine City,” a water park; and “Wolmi Dock,” an outdoor spa zone. In addition, incorporated in the plan are a roller coaster, a resort hotel, a kid’s park, a festival square whose capacity is more than 10,000, etc.
Buyoung Group says, “The master plan is draw up to express Incheon’s unique history, culture and community characteristics. Incheon was the first open port city in Korean history and is evolving into a marine civilization of the future. For example, the water park will be furnished with a lock gate, a ferry boat, a tower crane and other motifs from Incheon so that the facility can fully capture the dynamic landscape of Incheon Por.”
Buyoung will invest $635.3 million in this project and plans to break ground by the end of this year.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Apr.24, 2017 NO.9Incheon city sets up a database of businesses themed with green and climate Incheon city will establish a database of local businesses related to green and climate issues.
The project was identified as a part of “Incheon Green Climate Cluster Master Plan,” which was formulated in 2015 and has been implanted to generate economic benefits from hosting the HQ of the Green Climate Fund in the local community.
The city plans to set up a preliminary database in October and complete the list in December.
When the database is written up, businesses on the list are expected to get resourceful and customized information such as conference or event notice and how to access GCF funding.
Based on the database, the city will identify promising industries and form consultative bodies by industry in order to draw up appropriate incentives and create a shared understanding of developing a cluster for GCF related businesses in Songdo.
Diplomatic missions in Korea visited Incheon Global Campus
Diplomatic missions of about 30 people, including ambassadors and commercial attaches to Korea and spouses living with them visited the Incheon Global Campus (IGC) on April 13.
Ambassadors from Tunisia, Mongolia and Sri Lanka and 10 diplomatic corps from
Turkmenistan, El Salvador, Iraq, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan and the US Embassy to Korea looked around the IGC, received a briefing on the four universities and had a conversation with students.
The IGC Foundation organized the visit for the second time following last year to promote its member universities of SNYU, George Mason University, Ghent University and Utah Asia campus.
The invited visits have increased the profile of the IGC among the diplomatic community in Korea. In addition, they are expected to contribute to attracting more foreign students as the participated diplomatic missions expressed their willingness to support students from their own country so that they can get admission from the IGC.
Meanwhile, students enrolled in the IGC from 38 countries had a valuable opportunity to meet ambassadors and diplomatic staff from their home country.
