Incheon Cheongna International City is emerging as a key hub in western metropolitan Seoul through the expansion of its transportation network. In particular, with the opening of the Cheongna Haneul Bridge (Third Connection), the triangular axis linking Cheongna, Yeongjong and Songdo has been completed, simultaneously improving access to Seoul and expanding the living area.
According to a research report released by the Incheon Institute, the average round-trip commute time for Incheon residents traveling to Seoul and Gyeonggi was 150 minutes.
Cheongna International City, however, is regarded as an exceptional location. The Cheongna Haneul Bridge, which opened in Jan., cut travel time from Cheongna to Yeongjong and Incheon Airport to about the 20-minute range. Linked with the existing Airport Railroad and road network, access to major business districts in Seoul such as Magok and Yeouido is also seen as being further strengthened.
The extension of Seoul Subway Line 7 to Cheongna is under construction, aiming for phased openings twice, in the second half of next year and in 2029. When the line opens, travel time from Cheongna to Gasan Digital Complex Station, an interchange with Line 1, will be reduced from about 78 minutes to about 42 minutes, a cut of more than 30 minutes. Cheongna will also have direct, no-transfer service to Seoul Express Bus Terminal and Gangnam-gu Office Station in the Gangnam living area.
On the infrastructure side, development catalysts are concentrated. Starfield Cheongna is under construction with completion targeted for next year. Planned as the world's largest integrated complex combining a domed stadium and a large shopping mall, it will include a hotel, swimming pool and commercial facilities.
Major projects are also underway in the medical and biotech fields. At the roughly 280,000-square-meter Cheongna Medical Complex Town, Seoul Asan Cheongna Hospital broke ground in Dec. last year, and plans call for facilities including a research institute of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) of Harvard Medical School and lodging.
Advanced industry and financial functions are also being strengthened. In the southwestern part of Cheongna, Incheon Robot Land, with a total project cost of about 900 billion won, is being created as a national project, and Hana Financial Group's headquarters and affiliates are moving into Hana Financial Town (Hana Dream Town), which is being built in phases.
The International Finance District in Cheongna 3-dong will be developed as a mixed-use business and residential district with a total floor area of about 640,000 square meters. Among them, Cheongna Hanyang Sujin The Estin, which began occupancy this month, is expected to become a residential facility that absorbs future demand from those seeking proximity to workplaces in Cheongna. With the nearby prime office Cheongna Finance Center, business facilities and residential complexes will rise side by side, creating a self-sufficient global business town in western metropolitan Seoul.