Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
Four UN offices placed under one roof
Dignitaries cut ribbon at the opening ceremony of the United Nations premises at I-Tower in Songdo, Incheon, Friday. They include Kilaparti Ramakrishna, at the podium, director of UNESCAP-ENEA, and Han Seung-soo, ninth from left, former prime minister. Song Young-gil, Incheon mayor, and Noeleen Heyzer, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of UNESCAP, are on Han's left. / Courtesy of UNESCAP-ENEA
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
Four offices of the United Nations held a ceremony to celebrate their joint move into the same building in Songdo, Incheon, Friday.
Their new home is the 33-story “I-Tower,” which was constructed to host international organizations. The building, completed in February, has emerged as a landmark in the city with its eco-friendly design.
The four U.N. offices are the East and North-East Asia Office of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP-ENEA), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the Asian and Pacific Training Center for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UNESCAP APCICT).
Some 100 dignitaries, including Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of UNESCAP; Han Seung-soo, former prime minister; Shin Dong-ik, deputy minister of foreign affairs; and Song Young-gil, mayor of Incheon, participated in the ceremony.
“I am pleased about the move that’s been carefully planned for almost three years. It is the first attempt to consolidate UN offices in one building,” said Heyzer, in an opening speech.
“I believe the move will strengthen our ability to deliver as one U.N.,” she added.
Several other organizations are slated to move in later this year, including the Secretariat of the Green Climate Fund and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Secretariat.
Incheon successfully hosted the first U.N. regional office, U.N. APCICT, in 2006. Since then a total of 11 international organizations have moved to the city.
The city has been working to make the building a cluster of international bodies, as part of endeavor to turn itself into an “international city.”
ESCAP, inaugurated in Songdo in 2010, delivers U.N. development mandates, while UNCITRAL, inaugurated in 2011, focuses on international trade and related law in the Asia-Pacific region.
The UNISDR office has shared technology and data on climate-related hazards from 2009 for disaster prevention in the region. APCICT, since 2006, has supported developing member nations by providing information and communication technology.