Pohang City Forms Policy Training Group... Benchmarking Best Practices of Key Municipal Issues

Mayor Lee Gang-deok as Head, Formation of Policy Training Team and Benchmarking Advanced Cases

Benchmarking Excellent Cases ... Setting Policy Directions and Enhancing Public Officials' Competence

Since the 28th, Pohang City has formed a policy training team led by Mayor Lee Kang-deok to benchmark best practices for advancing key city issues, embarking on a domestic urban policy training program over four days.

The Pohang City Policy Training Group visited the Suwon Convention Center on the 28th to tour the related facilities and explore ways to develop and utilize the Pohang International Exhibition and Convention Center.

The Pohang City policy training team was planned to set policy directions through benchmarking best practices related to major city policies and to strengthen the capabilities of responsible public officials by integrating these into project implementation.

On the first day of the policy training, the 28th, the team visited the Suwon Convention Center to refer to the construction of the Pohang International Exhibition and Convention Center, one of the core pledge projects of the 8th term of the elected government, and to establish plans for revitalizing the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry.

The Suwon Convention Center was built with a total project cost of 342.4 billion KRW, consisting of two basement floors and five above-ground floors. Since 2019, it has been operated and managed by a foundation established by Suwon City. It serves as a hub for regional specialized MICE activation, hosting events such as the World Heritage City Forum and ASPS (Semiconductor Packaging Show).

In particular, the surrounding area is rich in accommodation and commercial facilities, including Hanwha Aqua Planet, Courtyard Marriott Suwon (288 rooms), and Lotte Outlet, greatly contributing to the activation of local tourism through synergy effects linked with the exhibition and convention center.

On that day, the policy training team met with Chairman Lee Pil-geun and General Manager Kim Kwang-je of the Suwon Convention Center to hear about the center’s operation methods, toured the surrounding infrastructure and internal facilities, and explored ways to build a convention center with Pohang’s unique characteristics.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “The Suwon Convention Center shares many similarities with Pohang’s exhibition and convention center in terms of scale, operation methods, and goals. We will leverage the advantages derived from this precedent model as a stepping stone and adapt them to our city’s conditions to create the best marine convention center in Korea.”

On the 29th, to promote the Pohang Convergence Technology Industrial Complex as a hub for advanced industries such as bio and health and to explore international talent development plans, the team visited the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority and Chadwick International School in Songdo.

That day, the training team visited the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority’s PR Center to receive explanations about major projects for creating an international city, surrounding infrastructure, investment attraction, and industrial status.

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority oversees the international cities of Songdo, Yeongjong, and Cheongna, fostering a wide range of industries including bio, information and communication, logistics, and tourism. It is also recognized as the most active region for foreign investment in Korea due to its advanced infrastructure.

Next, the team visited Chadwick International School in Incheon Songdo to learn about the establishment process and operational methods of the international school. Chadwick Songdo International School opened in 2010 and consists of 66 classes from kindergarten through high school, with about 40% of its approximately 1,400 students being foreign nationals, indicating a high proportion of international students.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “To capture both the improvement of foreign investment conditions and the securing of educational choices in the region, we will establish an international school within the Pohang Convergence Technology Industrial Complex to nurture talent in Pohang and expand residential infrastructure to retain them locally. Through benchmarking advanced cases, we will meticulously review the policies and future vision related to the key issues Pohang City is pursuing.”

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