Riyadh Mayor Meets Incheon Mayor Yoo to Look into Incheon’s Urban Developments

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok talks with Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf, mayor of the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia, during their meeting at Incheon City Hall on Oct. 11. (Photo: Incheon Metropolitan City)

A delegation led by Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf, mayor of the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia, visited the Incheon Metropolitan City on Oct. 11 and met with Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok.

Mayor Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf came to Korea to participate in the 1st Smart Life Week that took place in Seoul, and his trip to Incheon was arranged at the request of Riyadh to look into Incheon’s urban development.

Mayor Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf is known as a specialist in urban planning and management, as he holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University in 2016 in Urban Planning and Management, and a Master’s in 2014 in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University in New York. He is also a PhD candidate from Berkeley University.

He currently serves as chairman of the board of Riyadh Development Co., an urban consultant, and chairman of Arab Urban Development Institute.

Prince Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf is leading Saudi Arabia’s major urban development projects.

Mayor Yoo said, “I extend thanks for your visiting Incheon, a global city, and I’m deeply interested in Riyadh’s urban development projects and I hope the visit will be a new starting point of cooperation between the two cities.”

Mayor Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Bin Ayyaf said, “I’m pleased to see at first hand Incheon’s developments.”

Saudi Arabia is trying to reduce dependence on the petroleum industry in accordance with the ‘Vision 2030’ and diversify industries, and currently, Riyadh is implementing the “New Murabba” Project designed to build the most modern city in the world.

In return, Mayor Yoo said both cities will promote brisk exchanges in urban development and other areas, and he promised to proactively cooperate.

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia and the center of politics, economics and culture of the country with a pollution of 7 million people, the third most populous city in the Middle East.

Riyadh was designated as the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the city is the venue of 2030 Expo and 2034 Asian Games.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is the sole G20 member country of the Middle East, and the world’s second largest oil producer.

Trade with Korea stands at about $38 billion annually. Saudi Arabia has maintained a close relationship with Korea since 1962, when they established diplomatic ties.

Incheon Metropolitan City, Celebrating 60th Anniversary, Looks to Make a New Leap Forward

Incheon Metropolitan City held the “2024 Incheon Citizens Grand Festival” in celebration of the 60th Incheon Citizens Day at Incheon Grand Park on Oct. 12.

Approximately 30,000 citizens participated, including Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and other notable figures.

The festival, marking the 60th anniversary, was an event to celebrate Incheon Citizens Day the metropolitan government has held since 1965.

It was an occasion for Incheon to look back on the city’s developments for the past 60 years and pledge to make a new leap forward in the years to come.

The festival featured diverse culture and art performances, the Incheon Food Festival and other programs in which citizens participated.

In particular, the latest festival took place with less ceremonial formality, and programs in which citizens ate, enjoyed and appreciated had been expanded so that they could participate and experience them.

An awards ceremony for the 46th Citizens Prizes to honor citizens who have contributed to the development of the regional community in each sector was part of the festival.

The honorees include Choi Yoon-jeong and Ha Heon-young in the service segment; Yoon Ki-sae in the public interests segment; Choi Jin-young in the environment segment; and Oh Hak-ryong in the international exchange segment.

The winner of the special segment went to Chun Hoon-young, who achieved a record of 10th consecutive win at the women’s archery team competition of the 2024 Paris Olympics, giving citizens the pride and touching moments.

In his commemorative speech, Mayor Yoo said, “Looking back on Incheon’s changes for the past 60 years, Incheon unfurled sea routes with the opening of Incheon Port and sky routes with the opening of Incheon International Airport, and our city is opening the hearts of people around the world with the opening of a “3rd Port.”

“As usual, today’s heroes are also Incheon citizens, and Incheon will move forward for a new future with citizens from now on,” he added.