A project management symposium was held this week in Incheon to mark the eighth anniversary of the Incheon Bridge and appreciate the facility’s contributions to the local community.

The International Project Management Association Korea held the fifth IPMA Research Conference at Gyeongwonjae Ambassador hanok hotel in Incheon’s Songdo International City on Thursday and Friday, officials said.

The academic event was held to celebrate the eighth anniversary of Incheon Bridge, a 21.38-kilometer-long bridge connecting Songdo and Yeongjongdo, where Incheon Airport is located.

The Incheon Bridge construction project won the Premium Gold Winner Award at the IMPA’s 50th anniversary ceremony in 2015. The occasion led to the establishment of IMPA Korea in the following year, making South Korea the IPMA’s 65th member state.

This year’s IMPA Research Conference, titled “Project, Management, and Success,” sought to figure out what defines successful project management and how to make it sustainable, according to officials.

Among honored guests were IMPA Chairman Reinhard Wagner, former Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Rep. Kim Kyung-soo and senior officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

“I find it encouraging that we now have the opportunity to certify our project management capacities here in Korea in our own language, instead of English,” said the former prime minister in a congratulatory speech.

On Thursday afternoon, a series of seminars were held, followed by a gala dinner, the Research Award ceremony and Incheon Bridge’s eighth anniversary celebration.

Leading the seminars were IPMA Chairman Wagner, former IPMA Chairman Rodney Turner, IMPA Vice Chairman Jesus Amela and Shandong University professor Ding Ronggui.

During the evening ceremony, an appreciation plaque was also delivered to Incheon Bridge Co. for hosting the event.

On Friday, Yvonne Schoper and Haukur Jonasson, along with project management experts from around the world, presented to the audience recent case studies and theses.

The IPMA Research Conference is an international academic event seeking to bring together researchers, experts, scholars and practitioners in project management.

Though a relatively small gathering of some 60 members, it is largely recognized for the close interaction between field practitioners and academic researchers.

First held in Berlin in 2013, the event has so far been hosted in China, South Africa, Iceland and now for the first time in South Korea.

“We hope that this year’s symposium will serve as a momentum to promote the Incheon Bridge project management case and to attract the global society’s attention on South Korea’s capacity in the given sector,” said an official of IPMA Korea.

Since its establishment in 1965, the IPMA has sought to introduce a value creating project management system in 68 countries across the world.

By Bae Hyun-jung and Lee Hong-seok

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(gilbert@heraldcorp.com)