IFEZ Journal

Attracting the Overseas Koreans Agency!

The ‘Age of 10 Million’ in Incheon, a Global City

On June 5, the Overseas Koreans Agency was launched in Songdo International City, Incheon.

The agency has started its real work at Booyong Songdo Tower, the site of its main office, and plans to promote the establishment of overseas Korean networks,

MICE events related to overseas Korean companies, overseas Korean policies, etc.

The Launch of the Overseas Koreans Agency at Booyong Songdo Tower in Incheon

On June 5, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an opening ceremony for the Overseas Koreans Agency on the 34th to 36th floors of Booyong Songdo Tower. Along with this opening ceremony, the city of Incheon also held an event to commemorate the launch of the agency at UN Plaza in Songdo Central Park.

On that day, the commemorative event was attended by around 1,000 people, including overseas Koreans who helped in cooperating to attract the agency, heads of civic, social, and functional groups, and ordinary citizens, as well as important figures like President Yoon Suk-yeol, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon, and the head of the Overseas Koreans Agency, Lee Key-cheol. At the commemorative event, a video congratulating the opening of the Overseas Koreans Agency was shown and an appreciation plaque was presented to the “Yacht Expedition across the Pacific,” which departed from Los Angeles (LA) and arrived in Incheon to commemorate the 120th anniversary of immigration to Hawaii. In addition, a congratulatory video containing welcome speeches from about 600 Koreans from all over the world, including Asia, North America, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania, was released online to celebrate the meaningful day together. President Yoon, who attended the event, said in his address, “Overseas Koreans are keen to seek a window of opportunity for their home country and compatriot communities to grow together.” He also promised, “The Republic of Korea will maintain the engagement policy to accommodate such expectations and needs.”

+ ‘A City of 10 Million, Incheon’ Project

① Creating a hub city for overseas Koreans

-Establishment of the Welcome Center for Overseas Koreans, a one-stop service support organization for overseas Koreans

-Creating additional residential developments for overseas Koreans following American Town, the first foreigners-only residential development created by a local government

-Medical services dedicated to overseas Koreans, support for consumer activities in Incheon (such as tourism programs), increased accessibility for overseas Koreans by promptly expanding public transportation to and from the Overseas Koreans Agency 

② Cultivation of Korean Business Hub

-Establishment of a Korean Business Center to provide customized support for investments and economic activities for overseas Koreans

-Making Incheon into a base for activities of Korean associations, including creating a Korean community center and attracting the headquarters of major Korean associations

-Establishing networks with Korean entrepreneurs and fostering a Korean business hub by continuously holding events for overseas Koreans in Incheon

③ Fostering global Korean networks

-Establishment of private economic and diplomatic missions consisting of overseas Koreans to connect Incheon and the world

-Appointing overseas Koreans who are highly active in various fields around the world as advisors to aid Incheon City and strengthening networks with overseas Koreans by expanding sister/twin cities

-Strengthening solidarity with Incheon by inviting overseas Koreans to major events in Incheon, inviting next-generation overseas Koreans (such as children of overseas Koreans), and establishing future networks for support in their academics and employment

④ Creation of diaspora

-Promoting a city brand aiming for the diaspora by expanding the Museum of Korean Emigration History, the first Museum of Korean Emigration History

-Enhancing civic inclusiveness for overseas Koreans by encouraging cultural events on the theme of overseas Koreans

-Support for diaspora-related research activities, improving the settlement conditions for overseas Korean communities in their jurisdictions and encouraging related projects

Mayor of Incheon Yoo Jeong-bok Declares the Vision of ‘A City of 10 Million, Incheon’

With the launch of the Overseas Koreans Agency, the city of Incheon is declaring its vision and launching the project called “A City of 10 Million, Incheon” as it aims to leap forward as a world-class city beyond Korea. The project represents a comprehensive strategy for Incheon to become a world-class city by being reborn as the center of a global network of 7.5 million overseas Koreans based on the Overseas Koreans Agency. It was inspired by the case of Israel, which was created by Jewish networks around the world, and the global video network that acted as a growth driver in Hong Kong and Singapore.

As soon as the attraction of the Overseas Koreans Agency was set out, Incheon City established a support group to help with the construction and opening of the office building, and it presented a vision of “A City of 10 Million, Incheon,” along with developed implementation strategies. In order to successfully promote the project, the city of Incheon will establish an organization (department)  dedicated to carrying out strategic tasks in the second half of this year, and it plans to lay the groundwork for the project by enacting the country’s first support ordinance for overseas Koreans. In addition, it aims to create practical effects that citizens can feel in a short period of time by linking and cooperating with the Overseas Koreans Agency, including dispatching city officials to the Overseas Koreans Office.