Inha University's plan to open another campus in Songdo, Incheon is slowly picking up after almost 10 years. Other universities are also in talks to open campuses in the area.

“As we start to precede with the construction of the Songdo campus, we plan to build a 'multi-campus' that encompasses Yonghyeon, Songdo, Gimpo and Uzbekistan,” said Inha University President Cho Myeong-woo.

The university's main campus is located in Yonghyeon-dong in Michuhol District, Incheon, and the school plans to open new campuses in Songdo and Gimpo, Gyeonggi. It has operated a location in Tashkent, Uzbekistan since 2014.

It also made a bid announcement on Dec. 28, saying it is looking for a contracting company to design the Songdo campus.

Plans to build a campus in Songdo dates back over a decade. The university signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) in 2013 agreeing to buy a 49,500-square-meter (532,813-square-feet) lot of land from the organization. That purchase has not yet been made — an Inha University spokesperson said the school has not yet finalized a date to do so, though discussions with IFEZ are still ongoing.

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) also plans to open a campus in Songdo, although progress is also slow.

The university also signed a MOU with IFEZ in 2007 to build a campus in Songdo, initially aiming to open it in 2016.

HUFS purchased the necessary plot of land for 20.8 billion won ($15.9 million), but only the International Education Center, constructed in 2020, has been built so far. The initial plans included a center for interpretation and translation, an institute for lifelong education and a dormitory on campus.

Despite the slow development, the school's board of directors submitted a new plan for the Songdo campus to the Ministry of Education last September.

The plan would have students from two departments — the division of finance & AI and the department of biomedical engineering — study on campus when built.

Students in the department of biomedical engineering are currently based on the university's global campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi. The finance & AI division opens March this year and will also be based in Yongin.

With construction on the various campuses under way, Songdo aims to become a notable college town by 2026.

IFEZ plans to designate streets near Campus Town Station, Technopark Station, Yonsei University's Songdo campus and the Incheon Global Campus as the so-called campus neighborhood.

Similar to the area in front of Yonsei's Sinchon campus in western Seoul, the area will have car-free streets and venues for festivals and exhibits.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]