Diplomats celebrate Daeboreum in Songdo

Touring Songdo, one could not help but notice how quiet it is with virtually no cars on the roads and no one walking on the streets. But Incheon is banking on its success.

Recently, the Incheon City government and Korea Post magazine, a monthly covering all aspects of diplomatic affairs in Korea, organized a trip for some 130 envoys, senior diplomatic officials and foreign correspondents.

The trip had another purpose, to enjoy the first full moon of the new year, known as Daeboreum.

Mayor of Incheon Ahn Sang-soo listed several of his city`s accomplishments, most notably the airport, which "won first place of the world in customer satisfaction," the Incheon Port as a major hub for Northeast Asia and the newly completed Grand Incheon Bridge, the 5th largest suspension bridge in the world.

He also mentioned as accomplishments the developments of the cities of Songdo, Yeongjong and Cheongnam in Korea`s first Free Economic Zone.

"Please look forward to Incheon Metropolitan City developing itself into the top ten masterpiece cities of the world and the logistics and distribution center of the Northeast Asian region," he said.

The first stop on the tour was to Dohobu Ancient Incheon Government Building Complex where the city`s guests were welcomed with their own durumagi, a traditional hanbok style overcoat made famous by world leaders during the Busan Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2005.

With their durumagis, foreign dignitaries enjoyed a variety of games traditionally played during the first full moon such as the tug-of-war.



They also wrote down their New Year wishes on pieces of paper, which were then tied on a rope connected to the straw roof of a "daljip," a tipi-shaped bonfire whose name literally means moon house.

Once everyone was in place, a select group of envoys and foreign correspondents ignited the daljip in a blaze of glory.

Lee Kyung-sik, publisher and chairman of Korea Post magazine explained that his company has organized this trip for the third year in a row and was always a success due Incheon`s proximity to Seoul.

"Actually, there are other Full Moon festivals that are more authentic and larger in scale, but we have not yet determined that it is best for the diplomats. Maybe in the future, we can arrange one for other localities," Lee told The Korea Herald.

From there the guests were whisked away down the now famous Grand Incheon Bridge heading for Songdo where Incheon hopes the future of the city lies in waiting.

The Songdo International Business District is a planned international business center developed on 1,500 acres of reclaimed land along Incheon`s waterfront.

It will feature the Northeast Asia Trade Tower, the tallest building in Korea, and the Incheon Tower.

Schools, hospitals, apartments, office buildings and cultural amenities are to be built in the district.

This 10-year development project is estimated to cost in excess of $40 billion, making it one of the most expensive development projects ever undertaken.

One of the stops was at the 65-floor Northeast Asia Trade Tower to enjoy the view from the top floor.

The building offers a perfect panoramic view of Songdo and its surroundings.

By its completion date in 2015, the district is planned to contain 80,000 apartments, 50 million square feet of office space and 10 million square feet of retail space.

(yoav@heraldm.com)



By Yoav Cerralbo