The People Power Party's Incheon Metropolitan City branch holds a joint inaugural ceremony for its International Committee and Overseas Koreans Committee at the branch conference room on Thursday. [People Power Party Incheon branch]
The People Power Party's Incheon Metropolitan City branch holds a joint inaugural ceremony for its International Committee and Overseas Koreans Committee at the branch conference room on Thursday. [People Power Party Incheon branch]

The People Power Party's Incheon Metropolitan City branch has officially launched two dedicated committees aimed at strengthening the city's global standing and protecting the rights of overseas Koreans.

The branch held a joint inaugural ceremony for its International Committee and Overseas Koreans Committee at its conference room on Thursday.

Branch Chairman Shin Jae-gyeong and about 30 branch officials plan to use the committees as a platform to raise Incheon's brand value as an international hub city and expand a field-based cooperation network with the 7 million Koreans living abroad.

At the ceremony, Won Jeong-sik was appointed chair of the International Committee and Kim Hyang-chan chair of the Overseas Koreans Committee, with both beginning their official terms. Vice chairs and specialist advisers for each committee were also named.

"For Incheon to firmly establish itself as a world-class city, building diverse international capabilities and a tight-knit overseas Korean network is essential," Shin said in remarks at the ceremony. "I ask both committees to serve as the core engines driving Incheon's outward expansion and urban competitiveness."

Attendees collectively joined a signature campaign opposing the relocation of the Overseas Koreans Agency, pledging to pool the party's resources to keep the agency in Incheon.

With the two committees as its central pillars, the PPP's Incheon branch plans to roll out a series of locally tailored global policy initiatives, including building multicultural social integration infrastructure, diversifying international exchange and cooperation projects, and improving the support system for overseas Koreans settling in the region.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com