District mayors and county chiefs of Incheon express full support for the city's bid to host the 2028 G20 summit at the October county and district mayors' council meeting held Monday at the Ganghwa-gun Agricultural Technology Center. [Incheon city government]
District mayors and county chiefs of Incheon express full support for the city's bid to host the 2028 G20 summit at the October county and district mayors' council meeting held Monday at the Ganghwa-gun Agricultural Technology Center. [Incheon city government]

The heads of all 11 counties and districts in Incheon pledged full support and cooperation Monday to bring the 2028 G20 summit to the city, rallying behind the bid in a show of unified momentum.

The officials gathered at the Ganghwa-gun Agricultural Technology Center for the October county and district mayors' council meeting, where they agreed to jointly back Incheon's campaign to host the 2028 G20 summit.

The local leaders said hosting the summit would significantly raise the city's international profile and serve as a key catalyst for energizing the regional economy.

Each county and district plans to use its direct channels with residents to promote the case for the bid and build broader public support across Incheon.

Incheon positions itself as South Korea's gateway city, home to Incheon International Airport and a major seaport, with convention facilities, transport links and accommodation infrastructure centered on Songdo International City.

The city also points to its track record of successfully hosting major international events, including the Asian Development Bank annual meeting, the OECD World Forum and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation senior officials' meeting.

Gyeyang-gu District Mayor Park Hyung-woo, chair of the county and district mayors' council, said hosting the G20 summit would be "a major opportunity to demonstrate Incheon's growth potential and competitiveness on the world stage," adding that all counties and districts would spare no effort in supporting a successful bid.

The Incheon city government launched a task force in September to support the bid and has since stepped up its campaign at home and abroad, including a signature drive targeting residents and overseas Koreans at the World Korean Business Convention.

Nam Young-hee, the city's vice mayor for balanced development, said the city would work with counties, districts and related agencies to strengthen Incheon's bid, drawing on public interest and participation.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com