Incheon City Initiates 'Inter-Korean Exchange'... Supporting Baby Formula and Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Promoting Restoration of Inter-Korean Maritime Routes

Northeast Asia Women's Soccer Tournament and Goryeo History Enhancement · Kaesong Inter-Korean Academic Conference Resumption
Establishment of 10 Billion Won Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, Expansion to 26 Billion Won by 2030

Diorama of the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration displayed at Incheon City Hall during the West Sea Peace Special Period in June 2019 [Photo courtesy of Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City, a border city adjoining the northern side of the Han River Estuary and the West Sea Five Islands, announced on the 25th that it plans to actively engage in exchange projects for the advancement of inter-Korean relations and the establishment of peace in cooperation with the central government.

The city views the promotion of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation led by local governments as increasingly necessary due to North Korea's ongoing economic difficulties caused by international sanctions and COVID-19.

Accordingly, with the mindset of raising the future generation of the Korean Peninsula's children together, Incheon plans to provide 100 tons of infant formula to vulnerable infants in North Korea. It will also deliver raw pharmaceutical materials to North Korean pharmaceutical factories to enable the production of antibiotics and vitamins for infants and mothers.

Additionally, Incheon, ranked first in the world for biopharmaceutical production among single cities, plans to cooperate in establishing a joint quarantine system against COVID-19, malaria, and African swine fever to help overcome health crises together with North Korea.

Various economic cooperation projects for joint growth between the South and North will also be pursued.

Leveraging the function of Incheon Port, which handled the largest volume of container cargo to North Korea before the May 24, 2010 measures, the city intends to promote the restoration of maritime routes between Incheon and Nampo, including other inter-Korean sea routes.

Along with this, the city plans to propose to the central government peaceful utilization plans for the Han River Estuary, a neutral zone under the armistice agreement, and marine ecological fishery resource surveys in the planned joint fishing zones between South and North Korea.

It will also explore ways to resume social and cultural exchange projects that have been suspended since 2016, such as the Northeast Asia Women's Football Tournament, the Goryeo History Reinforcement Conference, and the Kaesong Inter-Korean Academic Conference.

To ensure the continuous and stable promotion of these inter-Korean exchange projects, the city plans to establish an inter-Korean exchange cooperation fund of 10 billion KRW by next year and add 2 billion KRW annually, expanding it to 26 billion KRW by 2030.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Yeongjong?Sindo section, the first phase of the West Sea Inter-Korean Peace Road project, was held on the 27th of last month.
[Photo by Incheon City]

Since the 7th local government administration, the city enacted the first ordinance among metropolitan cities on the creation of a peace city and established the Inter-Korean Exchange Cooperation Office to promote various peace-related projects. In 2019, it achieved the expansion of fishing grounds in the West Sea Five Islands, allowed night fishing for the first time in 55 years, and dismantled coastal fences. Recently, it broke ground on the Yeongjong~Sindo land bridge, the first stepping stone of the inter-Korean peace road.

An official from Incheon City stated, "We will prioritize projects that can be carried out at the city level without relying solely on changes in inter-Korean relations at the central government level," adding, "Incheon, which has played a pivotal role in inter-Korean cooperation, will expand its steps toward peace establishment and joint prosperity between South and North Korea, focusing on border areas."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.