INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Feb. 20, 2017NO.5Bicycle Repair Pop-up Shops
Now we are at the end of winter. It is perfect time to get yourself prepared for outdoor activities. Your bikes too need a checkout inspection.
The Incheon Yeonsu District Office announced a plan to open a bike repair pop- up shop for free inspection service in the first half of 2017. The shop will move around community centers in the district from March 3 to June 29.
Bike repairmen will provide free services, including fixing of flat tires, spokes, brakes, gears, chains, and replenishing oil. A change in parts will be charged but at a wholesale price.
Songdo 1-dong Community Center : March 6-10 Songdo 2-dong Community Center : May 15-26 Songdo 3-dong Community Center : June 23-39
Operation hours :10 AM - 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday
Free Service : fixing flat tires, spokes, brakes, gears, chains, and replenishing oil
3 bike routes in Incheon named to “List of 100 Beautiful Bicycle Routes of Korea”
Three bicycle routes in Incheon were selected to the List of 100 Beautiful Bicycle Routes of Korea by the Ministry of the Interior. The three are the 10.4km course between Sorae Port and Incheon Grand Park, the 21km course of Ara Bicycle Route and the 15.6km course connecting the islands of Sindo, Sido and Modo in Onjing-gun (county). The combined length of the routes is 47km. The city plans to promote the three routes by installing direction boards and using its homepage so that the routes can help stimulate regional tourism and economy.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Feb. 20, 2017NO.5Incheon pours $22.1 million by 2025 to become an ecocity Incheon Metropolitan City unveiled its
second ‘Natural Environment Survey and Natural Environment Conservation Action Plan’ to make harmonious urban settings of islands, nature and tidal flats. The city will, with the view to building an ecological city
where humans live in harmony with nature, invest $22.1 million by 2025.
The plan includes 5 goals, 16 actions and 53 specific. Five goals are: (1) Strengthening functions of ecosystem services (2) Establishing leadership in natural environment at home and abroad (3) Laying a foundation for natural environment survey and policy promotion (4) Enhancing management of wildlife and biodiversity (5) Designating and managing natural environment conservation areas.
Incheon also declared this year to double its effort for an “Ecocity Incheon” and put its priority on three tasks: to designate a National Geological Park, to launch and operate wildlife rescue and care centers, and to lay the foundation for ecotourism.
“The plan serves as an important guideline to give directions for an ecocity Incheon. I believe there will be positive effects: citizens respect nature and enjoy benefits from Mother Nature.”
Goal 1: Strengthening functions of ecosystem services
To develop an ecocity brand
To identify attraction points with natural sceneries
To develop ecotourism programs
Goal 2: Establishing leadership in natural environment at home and abroad
To strengthen a
cooperative system of civil, administration, industry, and academia
To set up a Yellow Sea Regional Council for nature preservation
To expand supports for the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership
Goal 3: Laying a foundation for natural environment survey and policy promotion
To utilize citizen experts for ecological surveys and a natural environment survey geographic information system (GIS)
To introduce environmental issue to the ecological planning scheme
Goal 4: Enhancing management of wildlife and biodiversity
To intensify the management of invasive species
To advance the project of a Stork Sub-village in Gyodong Island
To establish wildlife rescue and management centers
Goal 5: Designating and managing natural environment conservation areas
To designate preservation areas of ecological landscapes with excellent biotopes
To classify wildlife protection areas for major habitats of spoonbills, white herons, gold frogs, boreal digging frogs and salamanders.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Feb. 20, 2017NO.5More local campuses of prestigious universities in IFEZ
Incheon Metropolitan City will host more local capuses of the world’s prestigious universities in the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ). Now the IFEZ has State University of New York, George Mason University, University of Utah and Ghent University within the Incheon Global Campus (IGC).
The next IGC member would be the New York Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). FIT is one of the top five fashion schools in the world and submitted its campus registry application to the Ministry of Education last year, and deliberations are underway. It opens its campus in Songdo as early as in September this year. The FIT Songdo Campus will run a fashion design department and a fashion business administration department.
Incheon has continuously tried to attact the world’s top 50 universities and specilized colleges in fashion, music and hotel management.
FIT was founded in 1944 in Manhattan, New York, and produced famous fashion brand names such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and David Chou.
Incheon has attract top-ranked universities in the world's top 50, and will also promote specializing universities such as fashion, music and hotel management. It aims to attract more than 10 prestigious universities in the world.
Incheon is in consultation with a U.S. hotel management college and a world-class European music college. And its target line-up includes a smart city Institute of America's top university and biotech, child education and nano research centers of the UK's top universities. The city aims to host two university research institutes in the first half of next year.
In the IGC, State University of New York opened in 2012 and George Mason University, University of Utah and Ghent University New York launched their campuses in 2014. In total, more than 1,300 students are enrolled.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
Feb. 20, 2017NO.5Incheon tries to host Sejong Hakdang HQ in Songdo
Incheno Metropolitan City announced a plan to host the HQ of Sejong Hakdang to the Songdo International Business District.
Sejong Hakdang is named after King Sejong the Great, who created the Korean Alphabet or Hangul. Established in 2012, the institute has a global network of 143 branches in 57 countries. It provides Korean language education and introduces non-Koreans to many aspects of both traditional and modern Korean culture, ranging from traditional music and arts & crafts through to martial arts and modern dance.
If the HQ of Sejong Hakdang, currently in Seoul, moves to Songdo, there will be cultural synergy effects. Songdo already has 13 international organizations and expects the National Museum of World Alphabets to be completed by 2020.
An official from the city said, “When an institutional hub that supports King Sejong Hakdang overseas and nurtures Korean language lectures is set up in Songdo, the institute will be able to enhance its status and performance.”
An official from Incheon Economic Office said, "We will add an excellent foreign educational and research institutes in the Incheon Global Campus to become a global education hub in Northeast Asia."
