Gyeonggi Northern Region Youth Insight Forum: Exploring the Future Industry
[By Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong]
The 'Gyeonggi Northern Region Youth 2040 Insight Forum' brought together young people from the southern and northern parts of Gyeonggi Province. ⓒ Gyeonggi Province
A direct look into the future of Gyeonggi Northern Region:
The 'Gyeonggi Northern Region Youth 2040 Insight Forum'
was held in Goyang City on November 22nd (Saturday).
Shuttle buses departing from Suwon Station and Uijeongbu
gathered young people from different regions
at one point, joined by young residents of Goyang City,
and the day's schedule
began with that meeting.
What is the Gyeonggi Northern Region Youth 2040 Insight Forum?
It's an extension of the experiential programs for young people
prepared by Gyeonggi Province.
Last summer, programs were held around Pocheon and Paju,
experiencing history, culture, and art,
and received high participation and positive responses.
Based on this, the opinion was gathered that a program is needed
to directly experience the future industry of Gyeonggi Northern Region.
The core of the forum was not just listening to rigid explanations,
but 'the process of directly walking through the industrial site'.
It was a time to see how Gyeonggi Northern Region
will expand its growth axis in the future, such as the drone industry and MICE industry,
and how that change is revealed in the actual space.
The flow of the MICE industry expanding around KINTEX, the largest exhibition center in Korea ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
Gyeonggi Northern Region has been restricted in development due to military regulations,
but it is a region with the potential to expand widely in the future.
Recently, advanced industrial complexes are being created
mainly in Goyang, Namyangju, and Yangju, and the industrial map
is changing rapidly.
The industrial structure, which used to be centered on textiles and furniture,
is being transformed into future industries such as bio, media, semiconductors, and AI,
and the ecological environment of the Hantan River and Imjin River
was also introduced as an important resource.
Goyang City, which was visited on this day, is a city
at the center of change.
Based on KINTEX, the largest exhibition center in Korea,
the MICE industry is growing,
and the drone and UAM industries are expanding at the Goyang Drone Anchor Center,
and the city is moving forward with the future industry.
I was able to understand why Gyeonggi Northern Region
is attracting attention as a 'new growth axis'.
First stop, Future Mobility Technology at Goyang Drone Anchor Center
The first stop was the 'Goyang Drone Anchor Center'.
It is a facility that can handle drone production, testing, and demonstration in one place,
and has a large indoor airfield where flight experiments are possible in all seasons.
With company occupancy spaces and production equipment also available,
I was able to see on-site the flow of the drone industry
moving beyond the experimental stage to actual commercialization.
Goyang Special City is leaping forward as a drone and UAM industry hub, the only drone-specialized support facility in Korea ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
After a brief explanation, drone practice was conducted immediately.
The participants formed groups of four, and the team I was in
consisted of two from the South and two from the North!
Even though we gathered without prior assignment, in the process of
coordinating drone operation and movement paths,
exchanges beyond the region were created.
It's a moment that shows the field-centered experience
that the experience program aims for.
A moment when exchanges deepened during practice! A photo of our team taken with a drone ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
Drone operation started with learning basic movements
and continued to passing obstacles.
The team members coordinated movement and operation to complete the flight,
and after the practice, group photos were also taken.
Thanks to getting to know each other a little better, we even had lunch together
and moved like one team for half a day.
This collaborative process
was a scene that well showed the 'sharing of experience in the field'
that the youth program pursues.
Second Site! Goyang and KINTEX, Industrial Hubs of Gyeonggi Northern Region
After the drone experience, we moved to KINTEX.
Goyang Special City is a transportation hub where GTX-A, Line 3, and Gyeongui-Jungang Line
pass through, and it is the largest
city with industrial and cultural infrastructure in Gyeonggi Northern Region.
KINTEX is a facility at the center of this urban structure,
and it is the largest exhibition center in Korea.
The schedule for this day was designed to allow participants to experience the flow
by walking through the actual site of the industry in Gyeonggi Northern Region.
The core base of Goyang where Korea's MICE industry and K-Culture are concentrated ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
The KINTEX tour began with an explanation from the public relations team.
Hall 1 opened in 2005,
and Hall 2 opened in 2011,
growing into the largest convention center in Korea.
Currently, the two exhibition halls combined have a total area of 108,000㎡,
and function as a space where international conferences, exhibitions, and fairs
are concentrated every year.
What is MICE?
It is a compound word of
Meeting,
Incentive,
Convention,
Exhibition,
and refers to an industry
that combines the economy, tourism, and business of a city.
KINTEX is about to expand once again
through the construction of Hall 3,
and when completed, a new exhibition space
with a total floor area of approximately 108,000㎡ will be created.
Currently, construction is underway
with the goal of opening in the second half of 2028.
It was also announced that part of the exhibition hall was used as a filming location
for the entertainment program 'Physical: 100'.
KINTEX is now growing into a global MICE platform
with world-class scale and competitiveness in Asia.
'2025 MEGA ZOO Ilsan', Time to walk through the flow of the industry ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
Coincidentally, '2025 MEGA ZOO Ilsan'
was being held, so I looked around the exhibition hall.
It was the largest pet fair in Korea with about 650 brands participating,
and it was noticeable that dogs were allowed to enter.
The operating experience of 'K-Pet Fair', which has toured the country,
was reflected, so the flow and guidance were stable.
The systematic operation method provides experiences and information to visitors,
and marketing opportunities to participating companies.
MEGA ZOO Ilsan was also following this trend,
and it was an event where you could see the size and flow
of the domestic pet industry on site.
Korea AI Education Festival where you can see the future education and technology trends in one place ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
The second exploration is the 'Korea AI Education Festival'.
Walking through the exhibition hall with the team members,
I was able to see how the technology exhibition is connected
to the industrial structure of the city, and the flow of expansion
of AI education, robot demonstrations, and content technology was also confirmed.
The spectrum of the industry has widened with the addition of cultural infrastructure
such as the Broadcasting Video Valley and Live City to the population base
formed by the development of new cities,
and the drone and UAM demonstration environment
of the Goyang Drone Anchor Center, which I visited in the morning,
was connected to one map.
Lecture by Park Seok-jong, Chairman of the Korea Drone Industry Association, the reality and prospects of the industry ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
In the afternoon, there was a lecture
by Park Seok-jong, Chairman of the Korea Drone Industry Association.
Realistic elements such as the structure of the drone industry, supply of parts, manpower training,
and difficulties in the startup ecosystem were introduced,
and it was also explained that Gyeonggi Northern Region has strengths
in defense base and demonstration environment.
Since it was a lecture after experiencing the site,
I was able to understand the structure of the industry more three-dimensionally.
Questions from the Q&A session, curiosity created by the experience ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
In the following Q&A session, participants
asked questions based on their experiences.
✔️What are the limitations of drone technology?
✔️How are the air routes (airspace) where drones can fly
distinguished?
✔️What are the permit procedures
required to fly a drone in the city?
✔️Where are the spaces where beginners can legally practice?
It was a time to resolve questions as practice and lectures were connected.
The schedule of the day, which included drone practice, industrial exhibition hall tour, and lectures,
broadened the view of Gyeonggi Northern Region.
One participant said, "I didn't know much about drones,
but I became interested in the process of operating and listening to explanations,"
and added, "I hope there will be more of these experience opportunities
and more young people can join us."
Concluding, the message left by today's experience ⓒ Reporter Ahn Seon-yeong
The journey of the day, which started at the Goyang Drone Anchor Center
and continued to the KINTEX exhibition hall and transportation infrastructure,
showed that Gyeonggi Northern Region is gradually
laying the foundation for becoming the center of the future industry.
It was impressive to see the space for experimenting with technology, the exhibition hall for containing the industry,
and the transportation network that will change the structure of the city being established.
So how will these changes change
our daily lives and regions in the future?
There are still challenges to be solved
before Gyeonggi Northern Region can fully establish itself as the stage for the future industry.
It is necessary to watch how key tasks such as the designation of the Goyang JDS district as a free economic zone
and the construction of KINTEX Hall 3 will proceed,
and what changes they will actually create
in the city and industry.
Today's experience was a time to directly face
the 'process' towards that future.
Now it is time to see how the remaining puzzle pieces will be put together,
and to check the direction of that future
with the 2040 youth.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/gyeonggi_gov/224089003127
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