Incheon city, Overseas Koreans Agency sign MOU; remodeling to begin in 2027

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae and Overseas Koreans Agency Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup sign an MOU for the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Education and Culture Center at the Incheon Urban History Museum on Thursday. Pictured from left: Kim Ki-young, co-chair of the World Korean Congress; Yang Jae-kyung, steering committee member of the World Korean Business Convention; Park Jong-beom, representative of the center's supporters; Mayor Park Chan-dae; Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup; Ko Sang-gu, steering committee chair of the World Korean Congress; Han Esther, representative of homeland training program participants; and Yuk Jong-moon, steering committee member of the World Korean Business Convention. (Incheon city)
Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae and Overseas Koreans Agency Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup sign an MOU for the establishment of the Overseas Koreans Education and Culture Center at the Incheon Urban History Museum on Thursday. Pictured from left: Kim Ki-young, co-chair of the World Korean Congress; Yang Jae-kyung, steering committee member of the World Korean Business Convention; Park Jong-beom, representative of the center's supporters; Mayor Park Chan-dae; Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup; Ko Sang-gu, steering committee chair of the World Korean Congress; Han Esther, representative of homeland training program participants; and Yuk Jong-moon, steering committee member of the World Korean Business Convention. (Incheon city)

Incheon is set to become a key global hub connecting South Korea's 7 million overseas Koreans with their homeland.

The city, recognized as Korea's first official city of emigration history, will host a new Overseas Koreans Education and Culture Center aimed at strengthening the identity of next-generation diaspora members and fostering greater exchange.

Incheon city and the Overseas Koreans Agency signed an MOU Thursday at the Incheon Urban History Museum, formally launching a cooperative framework for the center's construction and operation.

At the heart of the agreement is a plan to completely redesign the existing Incheon Urban History Museum in Songdo International City into a combined education and cultural hub where overseas Koreans and local residents can come together.

Remodeling is set to begin in 2027. The center is designed to go beyond simple artifact preservation, built around a digital archive to serve as a dynamic space for exchange.

The center will house an exhibition hall on the history of Korean emigration, a specialized reference library and digital archive, and programs offering next-generation overseas Koreans instruction in the Korean language, history and culture, as well as homeland training opportunities.

Academic seminars, workshops and cultural exchange events open to both local residents and overseas Koreans are also planned.

The center will also host the secretariats of major Korean diaspora organizations, including the World Korean Congress, the World Korean Business Convention and the Global Korean Dream Foundation.

"It carries deep meaning that the center will be established in Incheon, the starting point of Korean emigration history more than 120 years ago," Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae said. "We will open an 'era of Incheon for overseas Koreans' so that the center becomes a warm home welcoming diaspora members from around the world when they visit their homeland, and a place where next-generation Koreans can reconnect with their roots."

Overseas Koreans Agency Commissioner Kim Kyung-hyup said the center's construction was "a long-cherished wish of the 7 million overseas Koreans." He added that the agency would work closely with Incheon city to ensure the center becomes "a solid cradle where next-generation Korean talent can grow without losing their identity."


gilbert@heraldcorp.com