Foreign residents living in Songdo shared their feelings about living in the international city.

Soleiman Dias, chairman of the Songdo Foreign Advisory Board, said when he first arrived as an international school teacher in 2008, the city did not even have proper roads, but now it had grown into an attractive place to live.

Dias, who has lived in several different countries such as Brazil, Italy and the United States, said Songdo cannot be compared with any other cities in the world.

“The Central Park in Songdo cannot be compared with Central Park in New York,” Dias said. “Central Park in New York is just a park where everyone can come and rest. But Songdo Central Park is a cultural space where tradition and modernity coincide.”

He believes that it is natural for the Green Climate Fund office to come to Songdo as the city is environmentally friendly.

“I feel grateful that I can be part of a historic moment living in Songdo. As a citizen, it feels like accomplishing a mission seeing a dream be realized and completed,” he said.

Malcolm Wesley from Australia has lived in Songdo for two years with his wife and two children and said he has not seen a city with as good bicycle paths as Songdo.

“If you ride bicycles frequently, car use would decrease and you would be closer to nature. In that regard, Songdo is a perfect example of an environmentally friendly city.”

He added the city was also great for walking.

Wesley believes Songdo has great potential to bring in the GCF, and that it just needs to find the right opportunity.

“Although there are some difficulties in communication, I believe they will be resolved in time.”

Andrew Wong, who works at UNESCAP, has lived in Songdo for a year and a half.

“As a U.N. employee, I cannot say whether GCF should come to Incheon, but I can say that there would be no problems with GCF coming in,” he said.

Wong, who lives with his wife, said he found Songdo to be an animal-friendly city as he had no trouble raising his cat. His family is also expecting a child, and plans to give birth in Korea and remain in the city afterward.

“I could move to another place if I wanted, but I like Songdo. There are no problems with education because there is an international school here.”

Wong emphasized the clean environment, affordable prices, safety at night and not being overly crowded as the city’s strong points.

By Sang Youn-joo (sangyj@heraldcorp.com)