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| Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong speaks during an interview at his office, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Asia investment bank to start second meeting this week
By Nam Hyun-woo
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Around 2,000 bureaucrats, bankers, businesspeople and journalists from over 80 countries are expected to take part in the second annual gathering of the multilateral investment bank that opened early last year.
"Welcome to Jeju, the treasure island of the world. It is a great honor for us to host the second AIIB meeting," Won said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.
"I hope participants will discuss various topics for the good of all humanity, not just for their own interests. Then, the global citizens will come up with support."
He is sure the meeting will achieve such goals.
The 53-year-old governor said Jeju will also benefit greatly from the AIIB event.
"Jeju will be able to establish itself as a capable host of global conferences. We hope to eventually become a competitor of Monaco of France and Basel of Switzerland," he said.
"In addition, we vie to attract infrastructure investments. Foreign investors have channeled around 15 trillion won ($13.29 billion) in 24 projects. We target high-tech and entertainment sectors."
Specifically, Won picked a series of promising businesses such as information-communication technology, bio, energy, healthcare and theme parks.
Eco-friendly island
Governor Won vies to show how eco-friendly the scenic resort island is to the high-profile AIIB participants.
In particular, Jeju has an advanced infrastructure for electric cars -- around 10,000 electric-powered vehicles run here, the highest number in Korea. In a decade, Jeju hopes to drive out all conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles.
It is part of the "2030 carbon-free island" initiative, the brainchild of Won who took office in 2014.
"In 2030, Jeju will have 370,000 cars. We strive to have all cars powered by electricity by that year," said Won, who was also a three-term lawmaker.
"By 2030, we will also meet all of our power demand via renewable energies such as solar and wind power without resorting to thermoelectric or nuclear power plants."
Such efforts, which Won calls "green big bang," are expected to make Jeju the host of an eco-friendly smart city that involves futuristic technologies including homes, plants, roads and information technology.
He also predicted the program would create an ecosystem for the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
"The world keeps an eye on our pilot project, which was demonstrated through a series of international conferences. Plus, the model can be benchmarked by thousands of cities across the world," he said.
AIIB President Jin Liqun also praised Jeju's eco-friendly initiatives ahead of the second conference whose theme is "Sustainable Infrastructure."
"Jeju is the perfect backdrop for the topic of sustainable infrastructure. It is a great example of how a city can successfully integrate sustainable practices into its operations," he said in an email interview.
The world's top electric carmaker Tesla fixes its eyes on Jeju, which is already equipped with necessary infrastructure for electric vehicles including chargers across the island.
In line with the policy, Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor would provide its Ioniq electric cars to participants of the AIIB.
