INCHEON SPOT NEWS
May.29, 2017 NO.12This Saturday, the 28th National Tea Masters’ Festival
To celebrate the 37th Korean Tea Day on 25 May, Korean tea masters will come together to the Incheon Culture & Arts Center this Saturday. About 1,000 tea masters from across the country will demonstrate unique tea cultures of different regions.
An exhibition and a contest for tea-based foods will also spice up the event. A hundred or so foods themed with tea are going to attract and please visitors. Interested participants can experience the traditional way of making tea – washing off, rubbing and drying tea leaves.
The main event will be on the outdoor special stage from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Incheon Culture & Arts Center
Address: 149, Yesul-ro, Namdong-gu, Incheon
Directions: Art Center Station (Incheon Subway Line 1), Exit 6 or 7
New BRT lines open: Songdo−Jamsil, Songdo−Yeouido
This 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 a 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.
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
May.29, 2017 NO.12Stronger cooperation between Incheon and Mongolia
- 10th anniversary of “Incheon Forest of Hope” in Mongolia - Sisterhood relationship with Ulaanbaatar
- Successful sports and medical support programs
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 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 m2 of land in Bayan Nur Sum and Dashinchilen Sum.
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, Mr. 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 SPOT NEWS
May.29, 2017 NO.122017 Incheon Forest of Hope
Volunteers from the Citizen Consultation on ‘Incheon Forest of Hope’ wrapped up their five day tree-planting mission to Mongolia and returned home on 28 May. This year the number of participants was 58, the biggest over the past 10-year history of the project.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the project, volunteers not only planted trees but had opportunities for cultural exchanges with local people and donated storage facilities for drinking water and fruits.
On 25 May, the delegation planted 300 poplar trees, watered 200 and created a new reservoir. The following day, 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.
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 industry / 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.
Korea is the 12th largest GHG emitter and set the reduction target of 37% (against 2030 BAU) as its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement, and now the central and local governments should be quicker to devise up climate change response policies. With a pack of climate and environmental issues related to an international airport, ports, industry complexes, power generation plants, and a landfill site, Incheon needs to
INCHEON SPOT NEWS
May.29, 2017 NO.12come up with policies for GHG reduction and environmental improvement and protection.
In addition, the ICERC is expected to work together with international organizations such as the Green Climate Fund, the Global Green Growth Institute, the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development, the Korea Polar Research Institute that are all located in Incheon.
Incheon city plans to develop the ICERC into an independent and more professional institute by 2019 based on the analysis of its first 2 two years of operation.
