Incheon City, Overseas Koreans Agency Sign MOU to Establish Overseas Koreans Education and Culture Center; Construction to Begin Next Year

Incheon City announced on Oct. 22 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Overseas Koreans Agency to establish the Overseas Koreans Education and Culture Center.

The agreement aims to transform the Incheon Urban History Museum in Songdo International City into a center for education, culture, and exchange where overseas Koreans and Incheon residents can come together.

The center will include exhibition space for historical artifacts related to overseas migration and a resource room. It will also offer Korean language, history, and culture education programs for younger generations of overseas Koreans. In addition, the city plans to support the establishment of offices for related organizations, including the World Korean Association Presidents Conference Secretariat, the World Korean Business Convention Secretariat, and the Global Korean Dream Foundation Secretariat.

Remodeling of the Incheon Urban History Museum for the center is scheduled to begin next year. The city will provide administrative support for its establishment, while the Overseas Koreans Agency will secure government funding and be responsible for operating and managing the center after its completion.

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae said, "The Overseas Koreans Education and Culture Center will be a home where Koreans from around the world can return as family when they visit their homeland, and a precious place where younger generations of overseas Koreans can discover their roots and develop their identity."

A view of the Incheon City History Museum in Songdo International City. Photo provided by Incheon City.

Meanwhile, in Incheon, opposition from the local community has been growing among civic groups and politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties after the Overseas Koreans Agency, which opened in Songdo International City in June 2023, was recently included among government agencies slated to relocate to Sejong. The Overseas Koreans Agency is an institution under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that oversees policies and programs related to overseas Koreans.

Shortly after the relocation plan was announced for the agency, which Incheon had secured after a hard-fought campaign during the previous mayor's term, Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae sparked controversy by saying, "Incheon will not be disadvantaged."

The Incheon Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice called on the government to withdraw its relocation plan, saying, "Mayor Park should take the lead, representing both the ruling and opposition parties and civil society, in the citywide campaign to defend Incheon's public institutions, including the Overseas Koreans Agency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.