Incheon Mayor to Give Full Supports for 2014 Asian Games

(아주경제 신기림 기자) Incheon Mayor Song Young-gil pledged to host a successful sports festival for Asian people in 2014 by making the most of its geographical and economic advantages.

“Incheon city will make sure 2014 Asian Games an opportunity to open the doors to the ‘Asia era’ and strengthen the friendship and cooperation of the Asian community,” Mayor Song told the Asia Business.

The 47-year-old veteran politician expressed confidence that the city of 2.8 million people will emerge as an “economic capital” comparable with New York, given its geographical position and infrastructure such as the world-class airport and seaport.

“Incheon is geographically well-positioned with 20 million consumers in the Seoul metropolitan area and 350 million in China who are not far from the city.”

Song also underscored that he would strive to build the most suitable atmosphere for foreigners to come and enjoy the sports festival as well as the city.

As a matter of fact, the Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee (IAGO) is now running the Olympic Council of Asia – Incheon Vision 2014 program which is designed to provide training facilities, courses and even coaches to athletes.

The business environment is also foreigner-friendly.  The mayor said that he would strive to build the “foreigner-friendly” environment with a variety of educational, medical, leisure and business facilities for foreign residents.

“I plan to devise a wide range of support programs for multicultural families and strive harder to develop Songdo into a genuinely international city. We are promoting the city’s great potential despite the sluggish real estate market,” he highlighted.

The flag of the Russian cruiser Variag that had sunk in the Incheon coast in 1904 during the Russo-Japanese war is expected to open the doors to further exchanges between Incheon and Russia.

His efforts have already produced fruitful results. Mayor Song and Russian President Medvedev met on November 11 at the Russian Embassy in Seoul where they agreed to check and exhibit or exchange cultural assets including independence movement materials existing in Russia, open a branch of the Moscow State University in Incheon City, and build streets bearing the names of each other’s cities in Incheon City and in Saint Petersburg.

Major Song met with Russian President Medvedev, who visited Korea to attend the G20 Summit and agreed as above and to execute the agreement within a year.
In addition, Song emphasized that the keyword in his management of municipal affairs was “communication,” vowing to listen to every single voice of the citizens and conscientiously reflect their opinions in the policy-making process.

“It is important to accept people’s opinions, explain to them when they have something that they have difficulty understanding and convince them if need be. That is how I can win public respect, I believe. I think communication between the mayor and citizens should continue until they feel they are truly respected and cared for,” Song said.

[e-mail]
[아주경제 ajnews.co.kr] 무단전재 배포금지