Establishment of 'I-CON City' Featuring Hotel, K-Content Tower, and Arena
A project to develop the Cheongna I-CON City, a cultural and tourism complex, is being promoted in Cheongna International City, Incheon.
On January 21, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority signed a memorandum of understanding at Incheon City Hall with the renowned U.S. hotel chain Kessler Collection and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) to advance the Cheongna I-CON City project.
The I-CON City project aims to develop a 260,000-square-meter site in Cheongna as a cultural and tourism complex, in line with Incheon’s ‘K-Con Land’ initiative to foster the video and cultural industries by attracting global content companies.
The project operators plan to establish a luxury boutique hotel, resort and condominium, live museum, K-Content Tower, visual effects (VFX) studio, arena, and senior housing, among other facilities.
At the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony for 'Cheongna I-CON City' held at Incheon City Hall on the 21st, (from left) Richard C. Kessler, Chairman of Kessler Collection, Yoo Jung-bok, Mayor of Incheon, and Kang Osun, Head of Regional Balance Headquarters at Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), are posing for a commemorative photo. Photo by Incheon City
Strategic investors in this project include Kessler Collection, Daol Asset Management, and Galaxy Corporation, while SK Securities and POSCO E&C will be responsible for finance and construction, respectively. Galaxy Corporation plans to directly operate the K-Content Tower, VFX studio, and permanent arena performance venue.
Kessler Collection, the project’s lead company, is a hospitality specialist based in Orlando, Florida, that has developed and operated hotels, resorts, and restaurants as landmark cultural complexes in their respective regions.
The company is particularly well-known for developing unique facilities that reinterpret a city’s history and culture with a modern and artistic touch. A notable example is the Plant Riverside District, which transformed an abandoned power plant in the Atlanta-Savannah area into an entertainment district.
Richard C. Kessler, founder and chairman of Kessler Collection, stated, “Incheon will become a key hub for Kessler Collection’s entry into Asia. By combining Cheongna’s potential with Kessler’s unique concepts, we aim to create Asia’s leading cultural, tourism, and content complex.”
Yoo Jung-bok, Mayor of Incheon, said, “Kessler’s investment will serve as an important catalyst for building Incheon’s cultural and artistic ecosystem. We will actively collaborate with relevant organizations and companies to enhance Cheongna’s cultural, tourism, and content infrastructure.”
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