6. 350,000 Visitors Enjoy the Ocean off the West Coast of Gyeonggi Province
– Gyeonggi International Boat Show & World Match Racing Tour Korea Match Cup: A great success that will vitalize the regional economy and marine leisure

The 2008 Gyeonggi International Boat Show & World Match Racing Tour Korea Match Cup, which was held from June 11 to 15 at Jeongok Marina, Hwaseong City, and Tando Marina, Ansan City, clearly demonstrated the west coast’s competitiveness in the marine & leisure industries as Gyeonggi Province’s next-generation growth engine.

The event, which started both with concerns, as it was the first time that a world-class marine event had been held in Korea, and expectations, that it could become one of the top three boat shows in Asia, was a great success and attracted 350,000 visitors, which was more than triple the number (100,000) projected by organizers. In particular, at the Gyeonggi International Boat Show, which features a total of 430 domestic and foreign boat manufacturing and marine leisure companies, 2,405 export consultations and contracts worth USD 383 million were signed. This is regarded as the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Korean marine leisure industry.

The efforts of foreign companies to enter the Korean market were also quite intensive. The Minister of Trade for Queensland, the center of the marine industry in Australia, held a promotion session for about 100 Korean companies. Representatives of major member countries of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) also held a press conference to promote their marine industries to the Korean press.

The enthusiastic response was reflected in a survey of participating companies that was conducted by the organizers, which revealed that 125 companies, or 75% of the 166 companies that responded to the survey, plan to participate in the Boat Show next year. Gyeonggi Province plans to establish marina facilities that can accommodate up to 1,633 boats in four locations, including Jeongok Marina, Hwaseong City and Jebu Island, by investing KRW 162.2 billion by 2015, as well as by developing a large-scale marine industrial complex near Jeongok Marina.

The 2009 Gyeonggi International Boat Show will be held at the same venue, from June 3 to June 7.

7. Preparing a Base to Realize the Promise and Competitiveness of the Yellow Sea
– With the opening of the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone Authority, Gyeonggi Province prepares for the dawn of the Yellow Sea era

The Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone Authority held a ceremony on July 22 to mark the opening of the office and the start of full operations. The Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone spreads over 55.05 million ????????¢®¡×? and covers five zones: Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province as well as Dangjin, Asan, and Seosan in South Chungchung Province. Gyeonggi Province expects that the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone will serve as an advance base for entry into China, where competition is intensifying.

In particular, Gyeonggi Province believes that the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone will enhance Korea’s national competitiveness, as it will be developed into a state-of-the-art manufacturing industry zone that will create knowledge; it will also serve as a good example of regional development as well as joint development of the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. To this end, Gyeonggi Province reached an agreement with South Chungcheong Province to locate the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone Authority in South Chungcheong Province, while Gyeonggi Province plays the role of commissioner of the Authority.

A total of KRW 7.4458 trillion will be invested in the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone, which will be used to develop a cutting-edge production, international logistics, tourism, and R&D complex in three phases by 2025. By 2020, when the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone starts to take shape, a “Pan-Yellow Sea Belt” will be created, linking Incheon, Pyeongtaek, and Dangjin on the west coast with Saemangeum and Gwangyang to the south. This is expected to have a production inducement value of KRW 44.742 trillion, generate KRW 15.463 trillion in added value, create 284,049 jobs, and have numerous other substantial ripple effects.

Despite these numerous benefits, there has been some criticism that the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone is a Free Economic Zone in name only and that it lacks substance. This is due to the fact that the activities in the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone are actually regulated under the Seoul Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act. Gyeonggi Province insists that laws and ordinances pertaining to Free Economic Zones should be revised and regulations must be eased considerably.

At the same time, the plan to create a Pan-Yellow Sea Belt with the Yellow Sea Free Economic Zone at the center is gaining momentum, as the area surrounding Pyeongtaek Port was designated as a candidate Free Trade Zone, the third region to be selected as such, on December 8th.

8. Gyeonggi Province to be Declared a “Special Zone for Safe Food”
– Gyeonggi Province to host the 2011 Organic World Congress, dubbed the “Olympics for Organic Farmers”

After a landslide victory in voting, Gyeonggi Province was declared the host of the 17th International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Organic World Congress, scheduled for 2011, at a time when the issue of “safe food” has been gaining attention worldwide following some particularly shocking cases, such as the discovery of melamine in some Chinese food products and the reporting of BSE cases. The 17th Congress, which will be held in Namyangju and Paldang in Gyeonggi Province, will be the first Organic World Congress to be held in Asia and represents the significant international recognition of the growth potential of Korea’s organic agriculture.

In addition, expectations are high as Gyeonggi Province is going to seize this opportunity to establish a firm foundation for the “production and consumption of safe food products” within the province by expanding the cultivation of environmentally-friendly agricultural products and by creating a “clean agriculture belt” in the Paldang area. As a first step, the province plans to expand the amount of land allocated for the cultivation of environmentally-friendly farm produce, including produce that uses less agrichemicals, from 14,900 ha last year to 20,000 ha by 2011.

Furthermore, the province is establishing a cooperation system with farmers in the Paldang area, NGOs, regional governments and other organizations under a policy to improve water quality and produce high-quality farm produce by using less fertilizers and agrichemicals, and is fostering the Paldang area as a world-class eco-friendly farming zone. At the same time, the province is preparing to declare all regions within Gyeonggi Province as part of a “Special Zone for Safe Food” by enacting an “Ordinance on Credibility Building for Food Produced in Gyeonggi Province” (tentative name).

The Organic World Congress is dubbed the Olympics of organic farmers, and includes a wide range of events such as organic academic events, discussion sessions for the development of organic farming, organic exhibitions, and IFOAM general meetings. The Organic World Congress will be held for six days starting on September 28, 2011, and will be joined by 2,200 participants from about 110 countries. Gyeonggi Province has established a taskforce in charge of ensuring safe food, and is strengthening safety tests for food products.

9. Outline of Gyeonggi Province’s Premium New City Revealed
– Sales of units in Gwanggyo New City – integrating workplace, living space, and resting place – begin

The details of Gyeonggi Province’s ambitious “Gwanggyo Premium New City,” which received so much attention from the public that “Premium New City” became a new buzz phrase, were finally revealed. In October, the Ultra Engineering & Construction Company received its first subscription for apartments in Gwanggyo New City.

The competition ratio for some units reached 224 to 1, leading some to believe that Gwanggyo New City was immune to the difficult economic conditions, but as the actual number of contracts signed remains a mere 70%, some have assessed it as performing below expectations. Moreover, as the public subscription for the Business Center project fell apart, people could feel the pinch of the economic crisis. However, considering the current landscape of the real estate market, some believe that the high competition ratio for Gwanggyo New City is remarkable. In fact, to support this point, the Gwanggyo New City Power Center (Econ-Hill), for which project costs total 2.4 trillion won, signed a business agreement on November 28. The Power Center, which will initiate construction in 2010, is a large-scale project that is expected to bring a production inducement effect of KRW 370 billion and create 5,000 new jobs.

Gwanggyo New City is an environmentally-friendly, self-sufficient city that spreads over 11.28 million §³ of land in Iui-dong, Uman-dong, Woncheon-dong in Suwon City, and Sanghyeon-dong in Yongin City. Gwanggyo New City is a thoroughly planned city, from the structuring of spaces to building design, movement, flow of water, and lighting. This planning is highlighted by the fact that the city will be constructed as a multi-complex, state-of-the-art, futuristic city with an administrative and office district, an R&D zone, tourism and leisure facilities, accommodations and educational facilities. In addition, 13,582, or 44% of 3,100 collective houses, will be mid-to-large-sized units that have more than 85¡×©ø of floor space. The units will be developed into beautiful and elegant spaces that reflect the tastes of their individual owners, escaping from uniform, standard cement houses. The city will become an environmentally-friendly city through the use of the green zone surrounding the city, including the Woncheon and Sindae reservoirs, and by establishing bicycle-only roads, wind tunnels, and other amenities.

10. House of the Great Artist, Nam June Paik, Located in Gyeonggi Province
– With the opening of the Nam June Paik Art Center, Gyeonggi Province puts itself at the center of global media art

Nam June Paik was a proud Korean and a great video artist who was recognized around the world. The Nam June Paik Art Center was built to commemorate his artistic work. The construction of the Nam June Paik Art Center, also called “The House Where Nam June Paik Long Lived,” as named by the artist himself, was completed on April 30.

It has been two years since construction was initiated in May 2006 based on German architect Kirsten Schmel’s design “The Matrix,” which was selected through the 2003 International Design Contest, from proposals submitted by 439 teams from 43 countries. About KRW 36 billion was invested to construct the Art Center on a plot of 13,000 ¡×©ø(floor area 5,605¡×©ø), in Sanggal-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin City. The Art Center is equipped with exhibition halls, a special exhibition hall, a data center, a creative space, education rooms, an archive, and more.

Opened on October 8, the Nam June Paik Art Center is holding the ‘Nam June Paik Festival – Now Jump’ until February 5, 2009, not only at the Art Center, but also at nearby facilities including the Shingal High School gymnasium and Zien Art Space, to celebrate the opening of the Art Center. With the establishment of the Art Center, Gyeonggi Province is able to honor the genius of Nam June Paik and promote his creativity to the world, placing the province in the center of global media art.