Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Incheon mayor, said at an official campaign launch news conference on the 22nd that he would “get Incheon’s engine running again” with what he called the city’s “ABC+E” future strategy. After declaring his candidacy, Park visited a biotech site — one pillar of the plan — and unveiled seven biotech pledges.
Speaking in the Aetteul Plaza outside Incheon City Hall, Park said Incheon has been “moving backward” because it lacked “a clear vision for the future.” He said the ABC+E strategy would turn Incheon into a place “overflowing with high-paying jobs.”
ABC+E combines the initials of artificial intelligence, bio, contents and energy as a mid- to long-term growth strategy for Incheon. His pledges include: promoting AI automation for logistics at Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port; building an AI connected-car hub and a “global AI auto valley” in Cheongna; developing Songdo as a global hub for new drug development; creating a 50,000-seat Munhak K-culture stadium and building 11 content-industry clusters; and moving to secure an offshore wind power ecosystem, push for tiered electricity rates, and restart efforts for a distributed-energy special zone.
Park said Incheon’s average total annual pay for wage workers stands at 41.83 million won, ranking 10th nationwide. “Incheon residents should be properly rewarded for the work they do,” he said, pledging to raise the city’s average annual salary by 2030 to the national top five, with an average of 55 million won.
After the announcement, Park visited a biotech company in Songdo, calling Incheon’s bio sector both a current and future growth engine. “The perfect opportunity has come to grow it into an industry that surpasses semiconductors,” he said, adding that the city would “pour in every capability it has” during what he called the biotech industry’s golden time.
Park said if anchor companies in Incheon — Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, Lotte Biologics and SK Bioscience — focus on biosimilars, the city would focus on creating the best possible environment for developing new drugs. “I will make Incheon a city that excels at both biosimilars and new drugs,” he said.
He then announced seven major biotech pledges: establishing the Korea Bio Science and Technology Institute; creating an Incheon bio fund and operating a Boston-style K-bio lab hub to spur startups and investment; improving the biotech business environment; converting the Incheon industrial complex into a key base for biotech parts and equipment; building a public-private cooperation system for the bio industry; attracting a public medical school; and hosting an Incheon Bio Expo.
“I will add speed to K-bio innovation,” Park said, vowing to make real what he described as President Lee Jae-myung’s vision of becoming a “top five global powerhouse” in K-bio pharmaceuticals through his seven biotech pledges.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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