IFEZ Journal

PART. 1 

Songdo International City A Global Hub for Bio, High-Tech Industries, & Cultural Content

Becoming a Balanced City of Business and Culture through Initiatives Focused on Global Bio, Advanced Industries, and Cultural Content

❶ ‘Superblue’ Cultural Complex Area 

The IFEZA is working to attract “Superblue,” a world-renowned media art museum based in Miami, to Songdo International City in Incheon.

This past January, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C., Incheon City received a letter of intent from Superblue CEO Daniel Dolan, expressing the desire to bring “Superblue Korea,” an immersive exhibition space based in Miami, to Incheon. Superblue is the first immersive exhibition space established by “Pace,” a globally renowned gallery based in New York with a 63-year history. The venue offers multisensory experiences by immersing visitors in spaces infused with projected artworks. By attracting Superblue, Incheon aims to secure world-class tourism content and enhance its appeal as a destination that transit tourists will want to linger around for longer.

▶check point   

 - ‘Letter of Intent delivered for attracting “Superblue Korea” to Incheon

 - Securing a world-class media art museum

➋ Therme Group’s Wellness Spa and Resort Project 

In February last year, Therme Group submitted a Letter of Intent  (LOI) related to investment in its Korean subsidiary, Therme Korea, and its plans for a wellness spa and resort project located at the Golden Harbor site in Songdo. 

Therme Wellness Spa and Resort, operating year-round, is featuring a nature-friendly leisure environment with a dome-shaped indoor spa connected to a botanical garden. Over 1,500 palm trees and 800,000 plants in total aim to create an urban retreat that optimizes relaxation. Once the facility is completed, it is expected to enhance the urban landscape and establish itself as another tourism landmark. Therefore, both IFEZ and the city of Incheon are making every effort to support the successful progress of Therme Group’s project.

▶check point   

 - ‘Significant increase in tourism offerings in Songdo International City

 - Scheduled for completion in 2027 and opening in 2028

➌ Songdo Landmark City 

Songdo Landmark City is a forward-looking integrated smart city envisioned by IFEZ to further elevate the global status of Songdo International City. Centered on this area, IFEZ plans to cultivate Songdo into an exemplary global city that integrates marine tourism, advanced industries, and residential functions. Songdo Landmark City will feature a variety of cultural and tourism facilities, such as Theme Space, Street Call, and waterfront recreational areas, along with office complexes including the World Korean Trade Center and Second Startup Park to strengthen its global business capabilities.  

▶check point   

 - Creation of an iconic landmark in Songdo Districts 6 and 8

 - Aiming to establish a premium urban space integrating international business, tourism, and leisure functions

❹ District 11 Advanced Industrial Cluster (C)

District 11 Advanced Industrial Cluster (C) is a mixed-use complex combining industrial, residential, commercial, green space, and tourism functions, serving as one of the primary hubs in the Mega Project actively promoted by IFEZ. This area, designated as a special planning district with a focus on waterfront and commercial spaces, is set to be developed into a premium complex that emphasizes harmony between urban design and waterfront scenery, often referred to as “Mini Venice” or “Mini Malibu.” Centered on Songdo’s District 11, active discussions are underway to attract high value-added companies related to IFEZ’s strategic sectors—including digital healthcare, robotics, and smart manufacturing.

▶check point   

 - A mixed-use healthcare and R&D district combining bio, high-tech industries, and residential functions

 - To be developed as a premium mixed-use space that harmonizes waterfront and commercial areas 

❺ Global Campus Culture Street 

IFEZ plans to create a “Vibrant Street of Culture and Youth” centered around Songdo International City. The location of this street spans the area around Yonsei University (near Exit 2 of Campustown Station) and is designed as an open, pedestrian-friendly space. Over a distance of about 480 meters, the site will include startup cafés, performance zones, and cultural exhibition spaces. IFEZ aims to establish a global youth culture platform representing Songdo International City through this project, and to develop it into an international urban cultural complex connecting tourism, culture, and education.

▶check point   

 - Establishment of a cultural and commercial complex around Incheon Global Campus (IGC) in Songdo

 - Detailed design service scheduled to be completed in 2025, with construction expected to begin in 2026

PART. 2 

Cheongna International City Center for Advanced Healthcare & Global K-Content

Positioning Itself as a New-Concept Business District through IFEZ’s Mega Project in Advanced Healthcare, Culture, and Entertainment

❶ Cheongna Media and Cultural Complex

The development of “Cheongna Media and Cultural Complex” is underway in Cheongna International City. The “Cheongna Media and Cultural Complex” will be developed and operated on a site spanning 188,282 ㎡ in the Cheongna-dong 1-820 area. It will feature specialized studios and broadcasting centers for video production, as well as cultural facilities, such as a convention center and media industry center. Additionally, it will include support facilities like officetels and neighborhood living facilities.

▶check point   

 - Establishment of a visual culture innovation cluster to transform Cheongna International City into a hub of the Fourth Industrial Revolution based on the cultural content industry

 - Development of a 5G-based video industry cluster to complete a sustainable cultural content industry ecosystem

➋ Cheongna Medical Complex Town

Cheongna Medical Complex Town is a future-oriented multifunctional district that brings together healthcare, biotechnology, research and development (R&D), and educational functions, positioning itself as a global hub for medical innovation where high value-added industries and advanced healthcare services come together. It is being developed as an advanced medical service town that enhances the quality of healthcare services and promotes the industrialization of the bio-healthcare sector, and it is set to grow into a central medical hub serving both domestic and global needs. 

▶check point   

 - Establishment of a hospital focused on foreign patients, a bio research center, and R&D infrastructure

 - Development of a multifunctional complex linking medical tourism and advanced medical research

PART. 3 

Yeongjong International City  The Optimal Destination for Aviation, Tourism, & Leisure, Featuring a World-Class International Airport

Rising as an Aviation, Tourism, & Leisure Hub through Strategic Urban Planning and Leveraging Its Prime Position as an International Aviation Gateway

❶ Integrated Resort Cluster 

Yeongjong International City, leveraging its prime location linked to Incheon International Airport, is moving forward with plans to develop an integrated resort to establish itself as a global tourism hub. Accordingly, IFEZ is stepping up its efforts to build a comprehensive tourism hub aimed at promoting the tourism, leisure, and MICE sectors, attracting foreign visitors, and revitalizing the regional economy. Centered on Paradise City and Inspire Complex Resort, the integrated resort cluster is undergoing comprehensive upgrades throughout the region.

▶check point   

 - Expansion of foreign investment through the creation of Korea’s leading integrated entertainment hub

 - Promotion of integrated tourism, leisure, and cultural industries centered on the airport economic zone

➋ K‑Con Land)

Yeongjong and Cheongna International Cities are emerging as hotspots for Korea’s content industry. The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZA) plans to develop Yeongjong and Cheongna International Cities into a “Media and Cultural Complex Cluster, K-Con Land.” K-Con Land, intended to cluster content companies around the Incheon Free Economic Zone, reflects Incheon’s policy initiative aligned with the current administration’s strategy to make Korea one of the world’s top four powers in the K-content industry. By 2035, the government intends to develop the site into a leading K-content destination, bringing together a content academy, creative and startup centers, media production studios, museums, and festivals.

▶check point   

 - A multifunctional cluster for developing media, cultural, and tourism industries and advancing content production and exports

 - A plan covering a total of six districts: 

two in Cheongna and four in Yeongjong

Expected Benefits of K-Con Land
Achieving KRW 10 trillion in cultural content exports	Attracting 50 million global visitors annually
Creating 50,000 jobs	Attracting 100 related companies