Chungnam Province Governor Kim Tae-heum is visiting Singapore, a global financial and trade hub and gateway to Southeast Asia and southern China, to spark new momentum for the provincial economy.
The provincial government announced that Governor Kim departed on a four-day trip to Singapore on the 4th for overseas market development, foreign investment agreements, investor meetings, and benchmarking of dome stadiums and smart farms.
Governor Kim placed overseas market development activities as the first item on his itinerary for this trip.
On the 5th, the day after arriving in Singapore, he will visit an export consultation event organized by the province and the Chungnam Economic Promotion Agency at Swissôtel The Stamford to encourage provincial business leaders and promote the excellence of Chungnam K-products to local buyers.
Twenty-five companies from 12 cities and counties including Cheonan, Gongju, Boryeong, and Hongseong are participating in the consultation, showcasing consumer goods such as seaweed products, health foods, and cosmetics to develop and expand sales channels.
Following the export consultation, the governor will visit Singapore National Stadium, the model for the K-pop dome stadium planned near Cheonan-Asan KTX Station.
Opened in June 2014, Singapore National Stadium is the world's largest retractable dome stadium with 55,000 seats, with an indoor arena and shopping mall nearby.
World-class artists including Korean group BLACKPINK, American singer Taylor Swift, and British band Coldplay have performed at the venue, with K-pop group SEVENTEEN's world tour scheduled for the 7th.
Prior to the stadium tour, Governor Kim will meet with executives from Sport Singapore, the stadium's operating body, to learn about its operations.
On the 6th, the third day of the trip, the schedule begins with signing a foreign investment agreement.
The agreement involves investment in green energy facilities within the province and is expected to be a record-breaking foreign investment deal.
That afternoon, the governor will visit GreenerPhyto, which operates the world's tallest vertical smart farm.
GreenerPhyto's vertical smart farm, which officially opened last month, is a five-story building on a 20,000-square-meter site, reaching a height of 23.3 meters.
Governor Kim plans to meet with GreenerPhyto's CEO and other executives to learn about operations and tour the facilities.
On the evening of the 6th, the governor will hold a meeting with Singapore-based Chinese business leaders and investors.
At this meeting, Governor Kim plans to introduce the K-pop dome stadium construction project, seek opinions on financing and operations, and request interest and participation.
A provincial official said, "Although Singapore has a small territory, it is a key global hub for finance, logistics, trade, and energy trading, and serves as a gateway to Southeast Asian and southern Chinese markets. Korean culture centered on K-pop is also highly popular there."
The official added, "This trip by Governor Kim will not only produce tangible results in overseas market development and expansion and foreign investment attraction, but will also lay the groundwork for expanding future economic cooperation through networking with local business leaders, while providing an opportunity to study advanced cases relevant to provincial projects."