Yeonsu District in the western port city of Incheon is bidding to host the 2021 International Conference on Learning Cities, the district office said Thursday.

The district office submitted its application -- containing endorsement letters from 60 people, including President Moon Jae-in and Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae -- to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.

The host of the event, to be held in October 2021, will be announced in late November.

In the application, the district office introduced the city, where 16 international institutions and 11 universities are located, and mentioned the country’s enthusiasm for education.

With an emphasis on “global health education and emergency response,” the district plans to elevate the status of Incheon and Korea to the next level in the global community by sharing stories about the country’s successful response to the novel coronavirus and about its antivirus measures.

“We have witnessed the importance of safety of us and neighbors through the COVID-19 crisis. I expect that Incheon could continue the spirit of engagement and cooperation that we share with Beijing and Mexico City,” President Moon said in his endorsement letter.

The event will provide a platform to share best practices in building learning cities, take stock of the progress of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities and their thematic clusters, and promote an integrated learning city approach for achieving lifelong learning and the sustainable development goals at the local level.

Events such as a book festival, a K-pop concert and a drone show will be held on the sidelines of the conference.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)