Mayor Donghwan Lee of Goyang Visits UK and Germany for Urban Regeneration, Local Autonomy, and Free Economic Zone Investment Talks

Goyang Seeks Urban Revitalization Strategies Through London and Berlin Urban Regeneration Success Stories
Attending IFA in Berlin to Strengthen Global MICE Industry Competitiveness
Visiting Dresden, Germany, a Hub for Semiconductors and Bio Industries, to Discuss Investment Opportunities in Free Economic Zones

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Donghwan Lee) announced on September 3 that it will visit London, United Kingdom, and Berlin, Germany, from September 4 to 7 as part of an overseas training program organized by the Council of Major Cities of Korea (Chairman Kangdeok Lee, Mayor of Pohang). The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the city’s capabilities in urban regeneration, local autonomy, and the MICE industry.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City. Provided by Goyang Special City

This overseas training program is being held over seven days, from September 2 to 7, and is attended by Council Chairman Kangdeok Lee (Mayor of Pohang), Sangil Lee (Mayor of Yongin Special City), and Byungsoo Kim (Mayor of Gimpo). Mayor Donghwan Lee will depart one day later due to his attendance at the Goyang City Council plenary session and will join the official schedule in London, United Kingdom, starting on September 4.

On September 4, together with Professor Junghoo Kim of City, University of London, a well-known expert in urban regeneration, the delegation will visit key urban regeneration sites in London such as King’s Cross, Granary Square, and Tate Modern to explore ways to revitalize deteriorated urban infrastructure.

On September 5, the delegation will move to Berlin, Germany, where they will visit the German Association of Cities, the Federal Council of Germany, and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Germany. Through meetings with representatives of these institutions, they plan to engage in in-depth discussions on local autonomy and policy cooperation.

In addition, the delegation will attend the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA), an international consumer electronics exhibition held in Berlin. IFA is recognized as one of the world’s top three IT and electronics exhibitions, alongside the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, United States, and the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. At this exhibition, the city aims to gain insights into global MICE industry operations and the latest digital industry trends, and to strengthen the competitiveness of its convention industry centered around KINTEX through meetings with industry stakeholders.

Following this, Mayor Donghwan Lee will travel to Dresden, Germany, on September 8 and 9 to expand cooperation with global companies and strengthen the foundation for attracting investment.

Dresden is the center of “Silicon Saxony,” a leading semiconductor and high-tech industry cluster in Europe, where global companies and research institutes are concentrated, making it closely linked to the development direction of economic free zones.

Goyang Special City has made expanding cooperation in the semiconductor sector its top priority. The delegation will visit global semiconductor company NXP Semiconductors Germany, semiconductor foundry specialist GlobalFoundries, and local high-tech company Chipmetrics in succession, and will also hold talks with representatives from Nanotech Digital.

The discussions will focus on investment opportunities within the Goyang Free Economic Zone, establishing global supply chains, and research and development cooperation in the semiconductor and nanomaterials sectors. The city also plans to learn about GlobalFoundries’ best practices in eco-friendly, smart manufacturing and carbon neutrality, and to develop these into cooperation and investment opportunities.

Cooperation in the bio sector will also be discussed. The delegation will visit the Von Ardenne Institute of Applied Medical Research to explore the potential for establishing a bio and precision medicine cluster. In addition, Mayor Donghwan Lee will meet with Honorary Consul Hollenders to learn about Dresden’s advanced industry development strategies and investment promotion measures, as well as to discuss industry-academia-research collaboration.