Campaigns Launched to Reduce Wastes and Carbon Emissions
Incheon City, the third-largest in South Korea, is emerging as a global city. The following is Business Korea’s recent interview with Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun, who became the seventh mayor in July 2018 in the city where he was born. – Ed.
COVID-19 is still ongoing. How is the city dealing with the pandemic?
Incheon has fought the pandemic by proactively coping with it. At present, the city is an exemplary model in the metropolitan area, where a large number of infections were reported recently.
The Research Institute of Public Health and Environment of the city has been at work around the clock in that quick testing is what is most important. We quickly tested citizens in potential infection areas and the results of the tests were derived and confirmed without delay.
The institute conducted more than 160,000 tests in the past one-year period. The number is larger than most of those of the 17 public health and environment research institutes across the country.
The first city government-level COVID-19 command center in South Korea was established in Incheon. In addition, a department for infectious disease control was set up in the city government for a more systematic response.
The Incheon Medical Center is currently taking care of COVID-19 patients only. It has increased the number of its nurses by about 80 to that end. The city signed MOUs with regional hospitals to forestall any lack of medical personnel.
Some are mentioning the necessity of a dedicated infectious disease hospital near Incheon International Airport. What do you say?
We all felt that we need more public hospitals to fight infectious diseases. This is because approximately 90 percent of infections from abroad have passed through Incheon International Airport.
Incheon is the very quarantine frontline of South Korea and, as such, a public general hospital in Yeongjongdo, the location of the airport, to treat infectious diseases is essentially required. We already suggested this at a presidential meeting last year.
How is the pandemic situation contributing to the biotech industry of Incheon?
Contactless living has become a new way of living. Under the circumstances, we are in the middle of a sea change both socially and economically.
Incheon is planning to launch smart tourism and smart city platform projects based on digital twin, GIS, and so on so that industrial and administrative opportunities can be found.
At the same time, the city will do what has to be done for Songdo to further refine itself as a leading biotech cluster. The industry is emerging fast as a new growth driver of the city, and we are about to finish our preparations to accelerate the growth of the industry.
This year, action plans will be implemented to that end and the examples include the construction of an engineer training center and projects for domestic material procurement.
Is the 10 percent cash back of the Incheon Ieum Card scheduled to continue this year?
Yes, it is. The city has maintained the cash back incentive since the outbreak of the pandemic, and it will continue to assist small business owners, promote consumption and contribute to an economic recovery.
Specifically, 50,000 won is returned from an Ieum Card payment of 500,000 won and this is equivalent to an annual subsidy of 600,000 won. As of the end of last year, more than 1.38 million citizens were using the local currency and the cumulative settlement was 4.4 trillion won.
What are included in the city’s tasks in the environment field?
Incheon is in pursuit of an eco-friendly transformation based on its Green New Deal Projects.
Landfill shutdown and recycling facility construction are important indeed. However, what matters more is each citizen’s effort to reduce wastes. Carbon reduction is also very important as a way of responding to climate change.
Every public institution in Incheon launched recycling expansion and waste reduction campaigns at the beginning of this year so that disposable products are no longer used in the city.
In addition, Incheon will turn itself into a carbon-neutral city for climate change response. We joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance last year and will achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Our plans also include research and governance establishment for marine waste reduction and marine pollution prevention.
The construction of the Yeongjong-Cheongna-Songdo Bridge finally began on Dec. 22 after 14 years of waiting. How will the toll be determined?
We are currently discussing the matter and our current stance is to provide it free of charge for Yeongjong and Cheongna residents. The toll will be moderate and reasonable in view of various traffic conditions and situations.
What is Incheon’s plan on the Seohae Nambuk Peace Road?
The construction of the first section of the road from Yeongjongdo to Shindo began on Dec. 27 last year.
The 4.05 km-long section from Yeongjongdo to Shindo-ri, Bukdo-myeon, Ongjin-gun, including a marine bridge and access roads, will be opened in December 2025.
The bridge between Yeongjongdo and Shindo will be the starting point of the 125 km road that will lead to Ganghwa, Kaesong and Haeju. The road to interconnect the two Koreas is included in the pledges of President Moon Jae-in as well as myself.
The 11.1 km-long second section is from Shindo to Ganghwa. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is expected to include the section in its plan in the first half of this year.
What is the concept of the welfare Incheon is in pursuit of?
We announced our welfare standards in October last year to specify the concept.
The standards include minimum levels and standard levels in the five fields of income, health, dwelling, education and care. Those also include 118 action plans covering citizens of all ages.
A total of 10.8 trillion won will be invested for five years to come so that income gaps can be reduced, health levels can be heightened and participation in education can be further promoted.
A series of customized welfare policies for the disabled, senior citizens and those with less income will be initiated this year. The policies will be implemented in the form of five strategies and 10 action plans, including participatory welfare.
Please leave a remark to Incheon citizens.
I hope every citizen will have a wonderful year, realize every wish and look forward to the day when COVID-19 will be overcome by our confidence and trust in ourselves.