- Joint declaration to strengthen national strategic industry competitiveness through integrating industry, education, and demonstration -

Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced its participation in the Incheon–Jeju RISE Collaboration Meeting*, held from April 16 to 17 at the Cheju Halla University Convention Center, where discussions focused on aerospace industry cooperation and regionally tailored talent development strategies.

* Aerospace & AI Career Ladder (A2CL) Summit

The meeting was organized in response to the government’s “Five Poles, Three Special Zones” balanced regional development policy, with key aerospace institutions and universities from Incheon Metropolitan City and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province taking part.

The core objective is to establish a full-cycle cooperation system linking talent development, technology development, and field demonstration by connecting Incheon’s industrial, technological, and educational foundations with Jeju’s strengths in training and real-world application environments. Through this effort, the two regions aim to move beyond regional collaboration and lay the groundwork for strengthening the competitiveness of the aerospace sector as a national strategic industry.

Incheon serves as a major aerospace industry hub with concentrated production, technology, and talent. The city has consistently promoted collaboration among industry, academia, and research, as well as the development of a professional workforce. With Jeju’s strong capabilities in demonstration and operational environments as complementary strengths, the two regions have specified a role-sharing cooperation framework that links industry, education, and demonstration.

During the meeting, the Incheon Institute for Aerospace Industry-Academia Collaboration and the Jeju Industry-University Convergence Center presented operational cases of a “career ladder” education system* for the aerospace industry. Discussions focused on establishing a demand-driven talent development system and identifying future directions for cooperation.

* A full-cycle talent development system spanning high school, university, military service, employment, and incumbent worker training

Both regions also signed a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to cooperation, formalizing the implementation framework for a collaborative system encompassing talent development, technology development, and field application.

Building on this partnership, Incheon plans to strengthen its cooperative foundation among universities, companies, and local communities, and to further advance an integrated system linking education, research and development, and real-world application to lead efforts to secure competitiveness in national strategic industries.

Shin Seung-yeol, Incheon’s Assistant Mayor for Planning and Coordination, stated, “The aerospace industry is a key growth engine closely linked to Incheon’s airport and logistics infrastructure. We will actively support this collaboration to ensure that Incheon’s talent and technological capabilities are effectively combined with Jeju’s demonstration environment to deliver tangible outcomes.”