Foreign Residents in Incheon Free Economic Zone Unite in Support of "APEC Incheon Bid"

Last Month's On-Site Inspections in Incheon, Gyeongju, and Jeju
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Announce Host City Later This Month

Global citizens of the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) are lending their support to Incheon's bid to host the '2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.'

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced on the 17th that as all procedures for selecting the host city for the 2025 APEC have been completed and the announcement is expected later this month, declarations of support from foreigners residing in IFEZ continue to pour in.

Soleiman Diaz, chairman of the 'Songdo Foreign Advisory Board (FAB),' a representative foreign community in Songdo International City, and James Park, vice chairman, raised their voices in unison, saying, "We wholeheartedly support Incheon's bid to host APEC." They have also been actively promoting the APEC bid through the 'Songdo Community,' a Facebook group with over 6,800 members, providing strong backing.

Soleiman Diaz, Chairman of the Incheon 'Songdo Foreign Advisory Board (FAB)' (right), and James Park, Vice Chairman, are performing to support the hosting of the 2025 APEC Summit in Incheon.
[Photo by Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority]

Chairman Soleiman said, "From the perspective of a foreigner who has lived in Incheon for over 10 years, it is clear that Incheon is the optimal location to host APEC," adding, "I would also like to emphasize that Incheon is a city that can represent South Korea's economic and cultural strengths, as well as its infrastructure, security, and diplomatic significance."

James Park, director of external relations at the University of Utah and vice chairman of FAB, stated, "The APEC Summit is a large-scale international event attended by around 20,000 people, including leaders, ministers, and media from 21 Asia-Pacific countries, so language barriers must be eliminated," and added, "IFEZ is home to 15 international organizations such as the GCF (Green Climate Fund) and over 4,000 students at the Incheon Global Campus, providing abundant global human resources that can offer meticulous support everywhere."

At the IFEZ Global Center, a campaign supporting Incheon's bid to host APEC also continued. On the 14th, more than 20 foreigners attending Korean language classes at the Global Center held mini banners in front of Songdo G Tower, took photos supporting Incheon's APEC bid, and shared them online and elsewhere.

They said, "IFEZ has consistently succeeded in hosting large-scale international events as a global fellowship stage, including the 2018 OECD World Forum and the 2023 ADB (Asian Development Bank) Annual Meeting, which was the largest ever held. We are ready to welcome and support APEC participants."

Students at the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Global Center are holding a banner supporting the hosting of the 2025 APEC Summit in Incheon and conducting a campaign.
[Photo by Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority]

As of April 30, 9,292 foreigners reside in the three IFEZ areas (Songdo, Yeongjong, and Cheongna). IFEZ, which will be the main venue for the 2025 APEC Summit, is equipped with abundant cultural facilities and MICE infrastructure, including an international airport, Inspire Resort and Gyeongwonjae, the National Hangeul Museum, and Songdo Convensia, the first domestic international conference complex certified by UFI.

The APEC Summit is an annual meeting attended by about 6,000 leaders and ministers from 21 Asia-Pacific countries. It will be held domestically next November for the first time in 20 years since it was hosted in Busan in 2005. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducted on-site inspections from April 20 to 22 at three candidate cities for hosting the APEC Summit?incheon, Gyeongju, and Jeju?and is expected to announce the host city as early as late this month.