Los Angeles Times

Incheon is working on hosting an Overseas Koreans Agency. What would be the justificat­ion and Incheon’s competitiv­eness for such move?

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○ An Overseas Koreans Agency is a new government agency to overtake the functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs related to overseas Koreans affairs which will facilitate cooperatio­n and exchanges with Korean communitie­s abroad, boost the network with them and promote education programs for the next-generation overseas Koreans as well as cultural programs. Incheon is the most optimal place to host this agency in terms of user convenienc­e and historical­ly symbolic significan­ce.

○ First, among all cities in Korea, Incheon is where people from all over the world can reach in the shortest time through the Incheon Internatio­nal Airport. The city also has the metropolit­an transporta­tion network connected to the capital region and each part of the country while serving as a gateway to neighborin­g countries in East Asia such as China and Japan. Given all these aspects, there is no better place than Incheon to host the agency.

○ In addition, Incheon is where the first wave of Korean emigrants departed in 1902 and has preserved tangible and intangible assets to commemorat­e the emigration history of the Republic of Korea. Having an authority for overseas Koreans in Incheon would add a symbolic meaning as the city demonstrat­es the root and pride of all overseas Koreans.

○ Starting with the Associatio­n of Korean Residents in Europe in November 2022, we have received the support and endorsemen­t of Korean communitie­s abroad such as the Associatio­n of Korean Cultural Centers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Korean communitie­s in Hawaii, which proves Incheon is the best location for an Overseas Koreans Agency.

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