Incheon Fair Incheon Plans 70 Events During 80-Day Festival
By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak called Incheon a Korean model of urban development during a keynote speech Friday at the opening ceremony of the 80-day 2009 Global Fair & Festival at New Songdo City.
"Incheon houses the nation's first free economic zone and one of the world's best international airports and seaports. These factors have helped globalize Korean people, culture and products," Lee said.
He stressed the increasing importance of urban competitiveness in what he termed an "era of cities."
"The past century was dominated by a competition among nations, but we will see fierce competition among cities in the years ahead. More than half of the global population is concentrated in urban areas and the figure is expected to surge up to 80 to 90 percent," Lee said.
Representatives of business and government as well as urban planners from more than 90 countries will gather in Incheon over the next 80 days to explore futuristic urban development models and lifestyles utilizing up-to-date digital technologies.
Over 130 cities with distinctive experiences and expertise in urban development, such as New York, Tokyo and Yokohama will showcase their progress. Around 1,500 corporations are also expected to participate in the mammoth event.
The organizers will hold exhibitions, conferences and events through Oct. 25, with the goal of attracting seven million domestic and overseas visitors.
In the speech before about 2,000 guests, including members of the diplomatic corps, the President described the western port city as Korea's bridge to the world.
Lee also paid tribute to Incheon's unique place in history as a leader of modernization.
"I urge citizens of Incheon to lead the nation's initiatives to become a more open member of the global community," he said.
The world's first event on urban development models for the future was initially conceived a few years ago by Mayor Ahn Sang-soo, partly to publicize the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) and the experience of renovating older parts of the city.
"The festival is much more than a regional event. It will make visible contributions to advancing Korea's global image by presenting the country's most dynamic urban development model," the mayor said in a welcoming speech.
Incheon will host some 70 events for the festival, including the 2009 Asia Pacific Cities Summit, the World City Water Forum 2009 and the Incheon International Conference for Urban Humanities.
For more information, visit www.incheonfair.org or call 032-440-8000.