Incheon Metropolitan City Government Steps Up Bid to Host the 2028 Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, Competing with Gwangju, Jeju and Others

[Financial News | Incheon = Han Gap-su, Reporter] Competition among local governments to host the 2028 Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in South Korea is intensifying. Incheon Metropolitan City Government has officially entered the race by launching a citywide response system involving the city government and related agencies.
According to Incheon Metropolitan City Government on the 20th, the city recently held a kickoff meeting for the task force supporting Incheon's bid to host the 2028 G20 Summit. The meeting, chaired by Shin Seung-yeol, head of the Planning and Coordination Office, focused on departmental and institutional bidding strategies and cooperation tasks.
South Korea will hold the G20 presidency in 2028 and host the summit. The host city will be selected through an application process and other procedures.
Incheon's task force will operate continuously until the host city is selected. It will consist of four divisions covering overall bid coordination and external cooperation, public relations support, bid outreach and bid strategy support. The plan is to focus the capabilities of the city's departments and related agencies on the bidding effort.
Incheon Metropolitan City Government is highlighting its international accessibility through Incheon International Airport as its key competitive advantage. It also emphasizes that the city has industrial and educational infrastructure, including the Incheon Free Economic Zone, a biotechnology industry cluster and Incheon Global Campus (IGC), which can be linked to the G20 Summit's key agendas.
Its experience hosting large-scale international events is another major strength. Incheon Metropolitan City Government plans to highlight its capabilities in conference operations and international event support, drawing on its successful hosting of events such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual Meeting and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) World Forum.
Several local governments are also joining the bidding competition alongside Incheon. Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is considering ways to link climate change, the energy transition and K-culture to the G20 agenda. In particular, it is pursuing the joint hosting of the G20 Summit and the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP33), which could be held in South Korea in 2028.
Jeju Island stepped up its bid on the 16th by launching the National Committee for Hosting the 2028 G20 Summit in Jeju. It is promoting its accommodation and conference infrastructure, including Jeju International Airport and luxury hotels, as well as its tourism resources and experience hosting international events.
Busan and North Gyeongsang Province are also reportedly considering joining the bidding competition. Busan is expected to cite its experience hosting major international events, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, while North Gyeongsang Province is expected to highlight its experience hosting the APEC Summit held in Gyeongju last year.
The G20 Summit is a large-scale international event that extends beyond a single day of leaders' meetings, with ministerial and working-level meetings continuing throughout the year. Incheon Metropolitan City Government expects that, if selected as host, related meetings would continue for more than 100 days and attract approximately 10,000 to 15,000 visitors, including leaders, delegates and journalists.
Accordingly, the host city selection process is expected to place importance not only on conference venues and accommodations but also on the city's overall ability to operate an international event reliably, including transportation, security, medical services and communications.
Incheon Metropolitan City Government plans to strengthen its cooperation system with central government ministries and related agencies, prepare field-specific materials required for the bid application, and gradually carry out preparations for an on-site inspection, online and offline promotional campaigns, and efforts to build public support.
Shin Seung-yeol, head of Incheon Metropolitan City Government's Planning and Coordination Office, said, "The 2028 G20 Summit is an important opportunity to showcase Incheon's international standing and the value of the city to the world. We will establish a close collaboration system among departments and agencies, bringing together all of the city's capabilities so that we can effectively demonstrate Incheon's unique strengths and competitiveness."
[email protected] Han Gap-su Reporter