Plan for Logistics Hub Unrealistic

Governor of Gyeonggi Province, Sohn Hak-kyu, on Wednesday said, “Korea’s plan to become a logistics hub of Northeast Asia is unrealistic considering the rapid growth of China.” He also claimed Qingdao, a port city in China, will be the one instead.

Governor Sohn, attending a breakfast meeting hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gave a lecture on vision and strategies of Gyeonggi province for the economic era of Northeast Asia in the 21st century. He said Qingdao port would soon be able to handle 10 million TEU, outpacing the capacity of Busan port. “Pyongtaek port should be developed soon so that we can take advantage of the logistics hub of Northeast Asia,” added the governor.

He pointed out that “the future of the Korean economy depends on how we cooperate with and support China.” Gov. Sohn also said, “We should not look down on China and we need to pursue complementary and cooperative relations rather than to compete with them.”

eye@donga.com