[Overseas Koreans Agency Target] Incheon "Good Airport Accessibility and Starting Point for Korean Immigrants"

"Incheon, with its international airport and port, is the optimal location for establishing the Overseas Koreans Office not only due to its geographical position but also its historical significance."

Incheon City is making an all-out effort both domestically and internationally to attract the Overseas Koreans Office under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is set to launch in June this year.

The city is securing declarations of support for Incheon from various overseas Korean organizations, and the local community?including the city council, regional members of the National Assembly, and civic groups?is uniting as a 'one team' to support the attraction of the Overseas Koreans Office.

In particular, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok began his vigorous campaign about six months ago after learning of the government's plan to establish the Overseas Koreans Office. He first expressed his intention to attract the office to Incheon during a meeting with Korean residents in Australia last September. In October of last year, he attended the World Korean Association Presidents' Conference held in Incheon, emphasizing the justification for locating the Overseas Koreans Office in Incheon, and met with key officials including the Ministers of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as members of the National Assembly, to request their cooperation.

Following this, during consecutive overseas trips earlier this year, he secured official support for establishing the Overseas Koreans Office in Incheon from the European Federation of Korean Associations, the Uzbek Korean Association, and Korean American organizations in Hawaii. On the 28th of last month, he also met directly with President Yoon Suk-yeol to propose the attraction of the Overseas Koreans Office to Incheon.

Yoo Jeong-bok, Mayor of Incheon

Mayor Yoo stated, "The biggest reason overseas Koreans around the world support Incheon is because Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port make visits easy, and the excellent metropolitan transportation network ensures convenient mobility." He added, "Since a dedicated agency for overseas Koreans must prioritize the convenience and opinions of the policy beneficiaries?the overseas Koreans themselves?it is only fitting that the Overseas Koreans Office be established in Incheon, the most preferred location by overseas Koreans."

In fact, Korean residents abroad hope that the Overseas Koreans Office will be located in an easily accessible area, and a resolution urging the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Office in the metropolitan area was adopted at last year's World Korean Association Presidents' Conference.

Incheon City is also emphasizing its 'historical significance' as the starting point of modern immigration, highlighting that it is the optimal location for the Overseas Koreans Office. The city explains that it is highly symbolic that the dedicated agency welcoming and supporting overseas Koreans will be established in Incheon (Jemulpo Port), where overseas Koreans were sent off 120 years ago.

Incheon’s status as an overseas Korean-friendly international city is also being highlighted.

Mayor Yoo emphasized, "By possessing the largest economic free zone in the country, Incheon offers excellent residential conditions (such as Songdo American Town, Global Campus, etc.) and investment conditions for overseas Koreans. Based on its international city infrastructure, Incheon is the optimal place to support economic activities and settlement in the homeland."

The 'Overseas Korean Affairs Office Incheon Attraction Citizens' Movement Headquarters,' involving 33 civil society organizations including the Incheon Love Movement Citizens' Council and the Incheon Christian Federation, was launched on the 6th. March 6, 2023 [Photo provided by Incheon City]

Incheon City aims to utilize the Overseas Koreans Office not only as a central administrative agency but also as a strategic hub for national investment attraction through overseas Korean networks.

Mayor Yoo expressed his expectations, saying, "By promoting the 'New Hong Kong City Project' utilizing the network of 7.3 million overseas Koreans, we can foster regional development and generate homeland investments from overseas Koreans based on overseas Korean-friendly economic and residential conditions, thereby contributing to national economic growth."

This project, a key pledge of the 8th elected administration, involves building a global financial hub linking Yeongjong Island, the southern part of Ganghwa Island, Songdo, Cheongna, and the Seoul Metropolitan Landfill Site.

Meanwhile, the government organization act including the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Office under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 28th of last month. After a three-month grace period, the Overseas Koreans Office will be launched. During this period, the government will decide the location of the Overseas Koreans Office.

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