Hong Kong Delegation Explores Incheon's University Town for Development Insights

CS leads delegation of Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town to conclude visit to Korea (with photos/video)

The delegation of the Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town (WG) under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (April 24) continued its visit to Korea.

In the morning, the delegation met with the Vice Mayor for Political Affairs of Global City of Incheon Metropolitan City, Mr Shin Jae-kyung, to learn about the city's vision and planning for developing a university town, as well as its multipronged strategies to nurture top-tier talent and support the development of key sectors such as biotechnology, smart cities and advanced manufacturing.

Mr Chan said that the higher education sector of Incheon is vibrant, integrating advanced technology and talent cultivation, placing it among the leading cities in Asia. The city has successfully attracted numerous international institutions to set up overseas branch campuses there, and has closely linked the university town with the surrounding business districts and innovation clusters, thereby creating a robust industry-academia-research ecosystem, which provides important references for the planning and construction of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT).

Afterwards, the delegation visited the Incheon Global Campus (IGC), a university town comprised of various overseas institutions operating under an "extended campus" model, where students can be awarded the same degree certificates as those conferred by the main campuses of their respective international institutions. The delegation toured the institutions on the campus and met with the Chief Executive Officer of the Incheon Global Campus Foundation, Mr Byun Ju-young, to exchange views on attracting overseas universities, fostering industry-academia-research collaboration, planning and developing shared campus facilities and nurturing talent in a multicultural context.

Mr Chan said that the operating model of the IGC is innovative and highly inspiring. The successful example of the city in bringing together various overseas universities and promoting deep collaboration between academia and industry offers many valuable lessons for Hong Kong. By making references to these experiences, the development of the NMUT can better meet the needs of the times and contribute more to the development of higher education in Asia and the world. He also said that there is a great potential for collaboration between Hong Kong's universities and their counterparts at the IGC in areas such as student exchanges and collaborative research, and that he looked forward to seeing strengthened co-operation between the two places.

Mr Chan, the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and other members of the delegation concluded their visit to Korea and returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.

Source: AI-found images

CS leads delegation of Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town to conclude visit to Korea (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CS leads delegation of Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town to conclude visit to Korea (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CS leads delegation of Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town to conclude visit to Korea (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Source: AI-found images

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units

Today (April 24) is the fifth day of phased arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units. Five low-zone floors of Wang Cheong House and 10 middle-zone floors of Wang Yan House were opened. The access arrangements were carried out in an orderly manner and operated smoothly.

A total of 117 households (417 people) registered to return to their units today through the "one social worker per household" service, while 114 households (413 people) actually turned up.

The average time residents spent entering and leaving the building today was 2 hours and 28 minutes, with the shortest time being 20 minutes and the longest 3 hours and 52 minutes. About 60 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than three hours. About 24 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than two hours. About 4 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than one hour.

A total of 61 households (129 people) went up and down the building more than once. Among them, 33 households (78 people) made one additional trip, 17 households (32 people) made two additional trips, 7 households (13 people) made three additional trips, and 4 households (6 people) made four additional trips.

The integrated enquiry counter set up by relevant departments today received 5 cases requesting police assistance. The 5 cases requesting police assistance involved suspected loss of property, including watches, jewellery, cash and gold items. Officers were immediately deployed to assist in searches, and lost property was recovered in all the cases.

The Government spares no effort in supporting the residents returning to their units. Each day, the Government deploys over 1 000 personnel from various departments, including the Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Housing Department, and the Housing Bureau, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams members. The "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism has also been activated to bring together greater interdepartmental resources to support residents.

Under the "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau has co-ordinated nine government departments to mobilise civil servants to form the Government Quick Response Unit to support these access arrangements. These civil servants come from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), the Environmental Protection Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Lands Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Post Office, and the Water Supplies Department. They will form dedicated teams with social workers and clinical psychologists from the SWD, stationed on different floors to provide support to residents returning to their units. The civil servants mobilised in the first three days were from the AFCD, while those mobilised from the fourth day to the sixth day (including today) are from the EMSD and LCSD.

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government concludes fifth-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases