[Report] Visiting 'Chinhan City' Yancheng... Korean Wave Theme Park Invested by China Draws Attention

Road Names and Notices... Korean Signboards Everywhere
China-Korea Trade and Investment Expo Held from 3rd to 7th

"Dochag (到達)"

On the 1st, after a flight of about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Beijing, arriving at an international airport. A welcoming Korean sign catches the eye on the directional signboard. This is not the scenery of the three northeastern provinces with many ethnic Koreans (Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang). When stepping into Nanyang International Airport in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China, with a population of 7.5 million, these two Korean characters are the first to greet travelers.

Nanyang International Airport in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China. Most of the route guidance signs include Korean translations. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

All road signs in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China, include Korean alongside Chinese. This reflects the intention to prioritize the convenience of Korean companies operating locally, such as SK and Kia Motors.
(Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

Yancheng is widely recognized as a representative 'pro-Korean city.' Thanks to the perception that Korean companies such as Kia Motors and SK have contributed to economic development through capital inflow, Yancheng is one of the most friendly cities toward Korea throughout China. In fact, the annual average growth rate of exports and imports between Korea and Yancheng exceeds 20%, and Korea ranks among the top trading partner countries and foreign investment destinations for Yancheng. Officials from Yancheng visited Korea in October 2020 as the first Chinese government delegation during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote investment attraction activities, and have shown a friendly attitude by carrying Korean nationals wishing to travel to China on charter flights before their visit.

Most road signs in this area are bilingual with Korean, and Kia Motors, which has struggled in the Chinese market, operates green taxis throughout the city. On the 1st, Korean banners were hung endlessly throughout the downtown area. This is to promote the large-scale Korea-China Trade and Investment Expo held from the 3rd to the 7th in the industrial complex jointly established by the two countries.

Yancheng’s representative tourist attraction is also closely related to Korea. It is KK-Park, which began construction in 2014 and opened last October. This place, fully invested by Chinese capital (2.17 billion yuan, about 398.8 billion KRW) and developed by the Korea-China Industrial Park, is an entertainment street combining a theme park and shopping area. A splendid commercial district reminiscent of Korea’s bustling streets, including amusement and cultural facilities such as a giant Ferris wheel and other rides, and a restaurant area, was created on a scale of 111,000 square meters. KK-Park has recorded 4 million visitors in just over a year since its opening, showing a smooth start. The accumulated sales so far have reached 70 million yuan (about 12.8 billion KRW). A KK-Park official introduced, "It is relatively quiet on weekdays when the reporter visited, but on weekends it is emerging as a 'hot place' where local residents and young people gather."

KK-Park, covering an area of 111,000㎡, which began construction in 2014 and opened last October. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

KK-Park, covering an area of 111,000㎡, was established in 2014 and opened last October. Some of the restaurants are operated by Koreans. (Photo by Hyunjung Kim)

From the 3rd, the Korea-China Trade and Investment Expo will be held in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, China. Korean banners announcing the event are hung across the city roads. (Photo by Kim Hyunjung)

The friendly relations between Korea and China and the strong interest in Korea here have somewhat waned from their peak due to the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) incident and the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of Korean residents, which was about 10,000 around 2015-2017, has sharply decreased to around 3,000 currently.

Yoo Gu-geun, president of the Yancheng Korean Chamber of Commerce (Korean Association), explained, "Related companies, including local businesses such as Kia Motors, have also suffered difficulties due to poor sales," adding, "Since the THAAD incident, the number of Korean residents including business operators and self-employed people has gradually decreased." Yoo emphasized, "However, the city government still provides considerable benefits," and added, "They keep factory rents in the industrial complex low, and when companies violate various regulations, they often grant grace periods and leniency rather than immediate punishment, providing many intangible benefits."

The Korean community hopes that the local atmosphere will reach a turning point with the Korea-China Trade and Investment Expo held on the 3rd. This expo has been held annually since 2019 despite the spread of COVID-19. The cumulative number of participating companies, buyers, and visitors exceeds 100,000. The trade volume is 7 billion USD (about 9.5 trillion KRW), with 191 contracted industrial projects and a total investment amount of 270 billion yuan (about 49.96 trillion KRW). According to the Korean Embassy in China, Ambassador Jeong Jae-ho will officially visit Jiangsu Province from the 1st to the 4th to attend the expo and support Korean companies.

Yoo emphasized, "The entire local community had been depressed due to the COVID-19 situation, but recently activities for Korean residents’ children, such as weekend Korean language schools, have resumed," adding, "With the upcoming Kimchi Festival to promote Korean kimchi and year-end events, the atmosphere is better than ever."