Governor promotes Jeju's sustainable future at GBF

Oh Young-hun, the governor of Jeju special self-governing province, highlighted the island's business environment and the municipality's support measures to pursue sustainable future at a forum in Seoul on Wednesday.

Speaking at the fourth edition of The Korea Herald's Global Biz Forum, Oh said Jeju had launched green hydrogen production in the island's northeastern region with an aim to usher in a zero-carbon era.

"The island already operates buses powered by green hydrogen, and it is expanding its utilization in ships and trams,” he said, adding that Jeju aims to become the country's first designated special distributed energy zone, using its renewable energy resources.

Jeju also has the potential to become a leader in urban air mobility (UAM) and urban air traffic, he said, introducing the J-UAM dream team, formed in collaboration with SK Telecom, Hanwha System, and Korea Airports Corporation. The team aims to commercialize UAM and urban air traffic by 2025, making Jeju the first city in Korea to achieve this feat.

Also speaking at the forum, Polish Ambassador Piotr Ostaszewski, stressed the growing ties between the two countries, inviting Korean CEOs to explore business opportunities in Poland.

Poland has attracted over 400 Korean companies so far, he said, adding that exchanges on a municipal level have been gaining momentum. Poland's Lower Silesia is set to sign a special MOU with Korea's Gyeonggi Province, said Ostaszewski.

"In November, there would be a direct flight from Wroclaw to Seoul,” said Ostaszewski, inviting CEOs attending the Global Business Forum to the Poland-Korea Business Forum to be held in Seoul in November to get new incentives and Polish partners for Korean business.

"Poland hopes the Korean market will be more open for Polish products,” he said.