A project to surround the Songdo International City in Incheon, west of Seoul, with artificial canals and a lake is expected to kick off in the latter half of next year, a ruling party lawmaker said Monday.

"The Incheon city government and Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority have agreed to start the 'Songdo Waterfront Project' in October next year," Rep. Min Kyung-wook of the Saenuri Party said at a news conference held after a meeting between the Incheon mayor, and ruling and opposition party lawmakers over the issue.

Set to be completed in 2027, the project worth 686.2 billion won ($578.97 million) will link a lake inside the international city with to-be-built canals in a rectangular shape that encloses the city.

The waterways will be 60-400 meters wide and 21 kilometers long in total.

To that end, the IFEZ already started to make the project's basic design in March.

Meanwhile, civic organizations here are opposing the project, claiming it will worsen the city's financial difficulties. (Yonhap)