Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Songdo ― ideal choice for life and business
Incheon’s special district boasts excellent conditions to host international bodies
By Kim Rahn
Songdo, an international business district located west of Seoul, is a town that from the beginning was designed to provide the best environment for businesspeople from around the world as well as comfortable living conditions for them and their families.
The special district is now bidding to host the headquarters of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), an organization to help developing countries fight problems associated with climate change, against strong competitors in Germany and Switzerland.
The second meeting of GCF directors to tentatively decide the host city will be held in Songdo on Oct. 18 to 20. The final decision will be made at the end of the year during the 18th congress of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Doha, Qatar.
The district in Incheon is confident of having the most suitable conditions to host the international body. More than 1,900 foreigners are already living there, with some 10 international organizations such as the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) sub-regional office for East and Northeast Asia, opting to settle in Songdo.
“While the initial manpower of the GCF is expected to be 300 to 500, the figure may rise to 8,000 permanent staff, and we are fully prepared to become a home for those people from different countries with ubiquitous systems that facilitate both businesses and domestic living,” an Incheon official said.
By Kim Rahn
Top business solution
Soleiman Dias, director of admissions at Chadwick International, a foreign-run school in Songdo, said the district is the perfect combination of a unique clean environment and a modern high-tech new city.
“It has everything to offer right here: good schools, clinics, nice apartments, office buildings, great restaurants and astonishing parks everywhere in the city. With breathtaking architecture, Songdo is definitely among the most revolutionary urban planning projects in the world,” said Dias, who has lived there since 2008.
Songdo’s well-planned facilities are just one of the attractive factors for businesspeople.
Buildings in Songdo, dubbed “a compact and smart city,” are equipped with ubiquitous systems. One of them is the I-Tower overlooking Sondo Central Park. With construction to be completed in February, the 33-story building was designed specifically for use by international organizations.
It will be a home to those already nestling in Songdo, such as UNESCAP’s regional office, the U.N. Asian and Pacific Training Center for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), and the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UN-ISDR) Regional Office for Northeast Asia and a Training Center for Disaster Management, as well as the GCF if it decides that it will set up in Songdo.
Incheon has promised to allocate 15 stories of the building to the GCF, rent-free.
“In Korea, the administrative process is fast. Officials of UNESCAP’s sub-regional office completed administrative affairs and opened the branch within two months,” the city official said.
Songdo also has good places for meetings, incentives, conventions and events (MICE). Convention center Songdo ConvensiA has state-of-the-art facilities that can accommodate any type of event.
Top-class hotels are also there for overseas guests coming for MICE or trips, such as the Sheraton Incheon Hotel and Best Western Premier Songdo Park Hotel. Several more are scheduled to open in the next few years.
Another strong point is its location. It is 20 minutes away from Incheon International Airport, which has direct routes to more than 180 cities across the world. One third of the world’s population lives within three-and-a-half hours flying time. The southern Seoul area is also accessible within 40 minutes.
As Songdo is part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ), many administrative and financial benefits are also provided to investors there.
Family-oriented living environment
In Songdo, what captures people’s attention first are the parks, with about one-third of it designated as green tracts. They provide residents and visitors with good relaxation and leisure activities.
Songdo Central Park is the main green area, which has a waterway on which water taxis, pedaloes and canoes can be used. There are several other smaller parks, which have themes such as traditional Korean culture, ecology and water sports.
Foreign schools are also available for the children of expats. Chadwick International in Songdo and Cheongna Dalton School in nearby Cheongna are for students up to the 12th grade, while Songdo Global University Campus will have branches of many renowned foreign universities, including the State University of New York, Korea.
Shopping malls, restaurants, cafes and other entertainment facilities are easily accessible and more of them are scheduled to open. In 2015, a large-sized shopping complex will be available, having not only a department store but also a multiplex movie theater and an ice rink. The Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea is also located in the district.
Songdo is building more facilities for cultural events. The Tri-Bowl, comprised of three upside-down triangular pyramid-shaped sections, is an exhibition hall to be used for art exhibitions and concerts. The Incheon Art Center will open in 2015 to provide a concert hall, an opera house and a museum.
With beautiful scenery and unique architecture, Songdo has appeared in many soap operas, music videos and television commercials.
Dias, who is also the president of the IFEZ Foreign Advisory Board, said Songdo cares for foreign residents.
“No other country in the world can offer such a family-friendly environment for expats moving to a new city. From a Global Center that offers free Korean language and culture programs to a new directory of services catering to foreigners launched by the Foreign Advisory Board, Songdo has become a model place concerned with the daily needs of residents from overseas,” he said.
“All sorts of services are provided to foreigners. The expat community is very supportive of newcomers, and tries hard to welcome everyone moving to Songdo. A transition to a new environment is not an easy task, and Songdo has built a structure to serve those who are adjusting to a new life here. Everyone matters, and services are provided according to individual needs.”