Q: Would you comment on merits of Incheon City as the Robot Land What are differences between Incheon and other cities
A: First, the No. 1 condition to become Robot Land should be a theme park with ability to stand on its own. Namely, Incheon is equipped with an optimum condition to build a global-level theme park in terms of location. It is possible for Incheon to develop a top-class tourist product in Asia that can attract more than 6.05 million foreign visitors annually.
At present, almost all globally succeeded theme parks are located near international airport within one- hour driving distance. Incheon City is located near the Incheon International Airport, the world's No. 5 airport, boasting of its top-class key point of Northeast Asia. Within 3.5 hours of flight time, people can reach 51 cities in the world with over 1 million population from Incheon.
It is also located within 30km from Seoul, the capital of Korea with residents of more than 23 million. At the same time, Inchon boasts of its various wide-range transportation networks linking Seoul- Incheon Expressway and the International Airport Expressway.
Secondly, Incheon plans to build the 111-meter high Robot Taekwon V Tower as a symbol representing theme park. Like Cinderella Castle, a symbol of Disney Land, Incheon will construct a symbol tower, which will become a landmark of Robot Land, in order to introduce Korea's new robot culture.
The Robot Taekwon V Tower will be consisted of a 105-meter high universe observatory, a 95-meter high sky observatory, a universe pilot seat, an exhibition hall, a theme restaurant decorated with Robot Taekwon V characters and robot posters, and an observatory elevator. Thirdly, our city is located in Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) that boasts of such merits as advanced infrastructure, systematic networks and attractiveness to induce foreign capital.
IFEZ consists of Songdo, Yeongjong and Cheongna districts and the Robot Land is scheduled to be located in Cheongna district. IFEZ grants foreigninvested companies such tax benefits as income tax, corporate tax and tariffs, making it easy to attract foreign investment. Robot Land should be a kind of tourism product and at the same time, be linked with the robot industry to create demands for robots. The IFEZ plans to house hotels, golf courses, tourism estates and other tourism & leisure facilities, as well as R&D, industrial and business estates. Accordingly, it can generate synergy effects by linking Robot Land and neighboring infrastructure.
Fourth, it is possible for Incheon to play a role of detonator to develop the city into an innovative cluster of the high-tech industry by linking neighboring industrial estates and reforming industrial structure.
Through R&D centers to be set up in Robot Land, Seoul National University (BT), KAIST (IT) research estate and Incheon High-tech Park (IHP), it is possible to develop robot-related original technology.
It can utilize seven industrial estates in Incheon and other industrial estates in metropolitan area, including Ansan and Bucheon, as robot production base. As it is located in the metropolitan region, the nation's biggest consumer market, and possesses airport and harbor for advancement into overseas markets, it is the best place to play a role of innovative cluster for research & development, production and sales of robots.
Fifth, Incheon has the best conditions to promote Robot Land externally. To promote Robot Land naturally, the land will be established in a place where 30 million people using Incheon International Airport annually can see the land when they are on board plane and in car on the airport expressway.
It is also possible to publicize Robot Land through the 2009 Incheon World City EXPO and the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and make visitors to the two key international events drop in Robot Land. What I'd like to tell is the Robot Land to be propelled by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy should be created as a global theme park, which takes robot as a theme for the firs time in the world In this viewpoint, I think, the Incheon Cheongna economic free zone is the best place.
Q: Would you introduce ripple effects of Robot Land
A: From the economic side, it can generate 350 billion won worth of production and create employment for about 20,000 people annually.
From the viewpoint of regional development, it can enhance the brand value of Incheon City following the creation of Robot Theme Park for the first time in the world. It can lead the robot industry by linking high-tech industrial estates in IFEZ.
From the industrial side, it can play a role as an advance base to achieve the nation's target of becoming the world's No. 3 robot superpower. By grafting robot on entertainment, we can actively foster the nation's new growth engine industry. Along with this, it can greatly contribute to the nation's economic development by accelerating attraction of foreign tourists to Korea. As the cultural effects, we can cite use of cultural resource as the world's sole theme park, offering of new leisure & cultural life and creation of new hallyu (Korean wave) culture by using Robot Taekwon V.
Q: Many difficulties are expected in the process of creating Robot Land, attracting private capital and securing site to build the land. Would you comment on this
A: Incheon City has set aside 785.5 billion won for creation of Robot Land and a consortium consisting of financial institutions, construction companies, IT firms and overseas companies agreed to invest 260 billion won.
In terms of securing the site to build Robot Land, Incheon City has the most profitable condition compared with other cities in the country as the city has its own land to build Robot Land
Q: Do you have any idea to actively foster the robot industry
A: Incheon City has designated official managers exclusively for fostering the robot industry and has selected the industry as a core leading industry.
For screening and consultation of the policies to actively develop the intelligence robot industry, the next-generation new growth engine industry, it has created and operated the "robot industrial development council" consisting of experts from all walks of life.
Along with this, Incheon City has operated a variety of robot-related programs, including Korea Robot Game Festival, which has been held every year since 2004, the EBS weekly program Robot Power, Robot Class, Robot Academy and Robot Camp.
To foster Incheon as the center base of intelligence-type entertainment robot, it invested 32.5 billion won to build the Robot Complex Center and decided to host the 2009 International Robot World Cup.
Like this, we have a firm will to develop Incheon into a center of the world's top-class high-tech industry, culture and science by building Robot Land featuring new IT and RT industries of the 21st century.
