24th Regional Cooperation Platform Forum Successfully Concluded

“Songdo Waterfront Must Evolve into a K-Urban Marina Cluster”

INU Regional Cooperation Platform Hosts Joint Forum with the Incheon Studies Institute and the Incheon Marina Association 

Incheon National University (President: In-jae Lee) held the 24th Regional Issues Forum on April 10 under the theme “Strategies for Establishing the Songdo Waterfront K-Urban Marina Cluster.” Approximately 70 participants attended the event, including local residents, members of the co-hosting organizations—the Incheon Studies Institute and the Incheon Marina Association—and officials from Incheon Metropolitan City.

The forum began with opening remarks by Jun-han Lee, Vice President for Planning at Incheon National University, followed by a welcome address from Jin-bae Hong, Director of the Regional Cooperation Platform (Vice President for International Affairs), and congratulatory remarks from Kyung-bae Kim, President of the Incheon Studies Institute. The discussion session was moderated by Cheon-kwon Kim, Advisor to the Incheon Studies Institute.

In the first presentation, Jong-taek Jeong, President of the Incheon Marina Association, spoke on the topic “The Need for Establishing a K-Urban Marina MRO Complex.” He proposed the development of an urban marina MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operations) complex at the Songdo Waterfront, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive cluster integrating marine leisure, manufacturing, and R&D.

In the second presentation, Professor Heung-joo Yoo of the Department of Sports Industry at the Graduate School of Industry, Sejong University, presented “Strategies for Revitalizing the Marine Leisure Tourism Industry through the Songdo Waterfront.” He proposed transforming the waterfront beyond a simple docking marina into an urban marine leisure platform combining waterways, leisure activities, the nighttime economy, and international business. He particularly stressed the importance of developing a sustainable industrial ecosystem through experiential and educational programs, event-centered content, and a phased investment roadmap.

During the discussion session following the first presentation, Professor Woo-cheol Jeong of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Inha Technical College stated that Korea’s marine leisure industry faces growth limitations due to insufficient marina infrastructure, and that expanding urban marina facilities is a key challenge for industry development. He emphasized that Incheon, with its airport-linked location and industrial base, has the potential to emerge as an Asian marine MICE hub through the development of an urban marina centered on Songdo.

Professor Seung-beom Woo of the Department of Marine Science at Inha University noted that despite rapidly increasing demand for leisure boats in the Seoul metropolitan area, marina berthing facilities and maintenance infrastructure remain critically insufficient. He argued for the establishment of an urban MRO complex in Songdo District 10. However, he added that policy prerequisites such as land-use conversion approvals from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries would be necessary because the site is designated as a port hinterland area. He also highlighted the need for AI and digital twin-based smart MRO systems, talent development ecosystems, linkage with offshore wind power projects, and related R&D initiatives.

As the final discussant for the first session, Yang-ho Heo, Head of the Marina Promotion Division at the Songdo Business Headquarters of the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, stressed the need to transform Songdo into a comprehensive marine leisure city through the public utilization of marine and waterfront spaces and the establishment of marina infrastructure. He particularly emphasized that expanding marina infrastructure and developing citizen-friendly waterfront experiences are essential in light of growing marine leisure demand and limited public accessibility.

In the discussion following the second presentation, Ji-na Lee, Secretary General of the Yeonsu Canoe Federation, stated that the Songdo Waterfront should evolve beyond infrastructure-centered development into an urban marine tourism platform that combines citizen-oriented experiential and educational marine leisure content. She emphasized the need to build a public ecological partnership centered on local organizations such as the Yeonsu Canoe Federation to create an eco-friendly marine leisure ecosystem.

Professor Young-eun Park of Incheon National University stated that the Songdo Waterfront should develop into a comprehensive business platform linking marine leisure with tourism and convention industries. She stressed that the creation of a marina cluster connected to global tourism demand would be essential for revitalizing the local economy and enhancing international competitiveness.

As the final discussant in the second session, Sung-hoon Kim, representative of the “All That Songdo” community café, argued from a private-sector perspective that the Songdo Waterfront should be developed into a profit-generating marine leisure platform combining content, commerce, and tourism, rather than remaining a simple public development project. He especially proposed expanding private participation and developing differentiated stay-oriented content to create “a marina integrated into everyday life, not just an urban marina.”

Director Jin-bae Hong of the INU Regional Cooperation Platform stated, “Based on the policy proposals and industrial strategies derived from this forum, we plan to concretize follow-up research and policy projects while continuously expanding collaborative governance to strengthen regional maritime industry competitiveness.” He added that the forum was also meaningful in presenting future directions for enhancing marine leisure industry competitiveness through industry–academia–research–government cooperation.