Incheon City Council Member Lee Kang-gu: “Maritime and International Trade Court Should Be Established in Songdo”

Incheon City Council Member Lee Kang-gu (People Power Party·Yeonsu-gu 5) strongly urged the establishment of the Maritime and International Trade Court in Songdo.

During the 5-minute free speech at the first plenary session of the 306th Incheon City Council temporary meeting held on the 27th, the member defined the Maritime and International Trade Court not merely as a judicial institution but as a ‘national strategic infrastructure’, emphasising the need to attract it to Songdo.

The member stated, “The Maritime and International Trade Court should not be just a facility that ends with a court, but should grow into an international dispute cluster that integrates arbitration institutions, international organisations, and research institutions.” He continued, “Songdo has the optimal conditions for linking maritime disputes, international trade, and maritime administration, with over 20 international organisations including the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Asia-Pacific Centre, as well as the Maritime Police Agency and the Overseas Koreans Agency located here.”

He also pointed out the strengths of Songdo's MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) infrastructure. The member argued, “If we develop a package industry that links trials, arbitration, and international conferences, the entire city could grow into an international dispute platform like Singapore or London.”

He emphasised Songdo's competitiveness in terms of accessibility. He said, “Songdo is the only international and national complex access city in the country that has Incheon International Airport, KTX, GTX-B, and major expressway networks at the same time,” adding, “There is no place more suitable than Songdo for the location of a special court used by national companies and foreign parties.”

As a specific candidate site, he proposed a station area site of about 20,000㎡ near the Knowledge Information District of Incheon Line 1. The member stated, “The attraction of the Maritime and International Trade Court should be approached from the perspective of national growth infrastructure, separate from the logic of revitalising the old city centre,” and added, “A strategy of selection and concentration is needed, like the Songdo Bio Cluster.”

The member remarked, “This decision is a significant turning point that will determine whether Incheon can leap forward as the central city of maritime and international disputes in South Korea,” urging Incheon City to make strategic judgments and take proactive responses.