Pocheon City Holds Opening Ceremony for Pocheon Business Center and Foreign Resident Support Center

Pocheon City held an opening ceremony for the Pocheon Business Center and the Foreign Resident Support Center on the 23rd.

Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Young-hyun) announced on the 24th that it successfully held the opening ceremony of the Pocheon Business Center and the Foreign Resident Support Center on the 23rd.

The opening ceremony was attended by about 200 people, including Mayor Baek Young-hyun of Pocheon, Im Jong-hoon, Chairman of the Pocheon City Council, Oh Moo-seok, Deputy Governor for Administration of Gyeonggi Province, Yoon Chung-sik, member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly, Han Hee-jun, Chairman of the Pocheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Ssinga-je, Chairman of the Foreign Resident Representatives Council, along with local businesspeople.

Additionally, National Assembly member Kim Yong-tae, local businesspeople, and foreign representatives who could not attend due to busy schedules sent their congratulations via video and messages.

Pocheon has about 8,000 companies, and its per capita Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) ranks first among the 10 cities and counties in northern Gyeonggi Province. Furthermore, foreign residents number about 20,000, accounting for 12.4% of the total population.

Accordingly, the city promoted the construction of the Business Center and the Foreign Resident Support Center to systematically support business activities and enhance welfare for foreign residents.

After being selected in 2019 as part of Gyeonggi Province’s regional balanced development project, the city, together with Pocheon Urban Corporation, actively pushed forward the project. In 2022, it was selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Local Extinction Response Fund project, which enabled the expansion of the Foreign Resident Support Center. The construction was completed in July, and after a two-month preparation period, the opening ceremony was held.

The Pocheon Business Center is located within the Pocheon Yongjeong Industrial Complex. The total project cost was 25.407 billion KRW (9.55 billion KRW from the provincial government, 12.357 billion KRW from the city government, and 3.5 billion KRW from the Local Extinction Response Fund). The building consists of one basement floor and four above-ground floors, equipped with various facilities to support local businesses and provide services to foreign residents.

The first floor houses a convention hall and convenience facilities. The second floor contains offices, meeting rooms, and seminar rooms. The third floor is occupied by the Pocheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the fourth floor is home to the Pocheon Foreign Resident Support Center.

Operating since August, the Pocheon Foreign Resident Support Center offers comprehensive administrative services for foreign residents. It includes offices for the Family Women and Foreign Resident Support Team, six classrooms, interpretation consultation rooms, an auditorium, a kitchen, meeting rooms, and rest areas for women and children.

Mayor Baek Young-hyun of Pocheon stated, “The Pocheon Business Center will serve as a hub for local businesses and foreign residents. Pocheon City will continue to do its best to create a business-friendly environment and support the self-reliance of foreign residents.”