The Seoul Metro Government is teaming up with Global Hackathon to host the first international city¬-backed Hackathon — expected to be the largest ever. The event will take place from July 29 – August 1, 2015, at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul’s Gangnam district.

And the Mayor of Seoul invites you to hack in South Korea. Flights and accommodation are paid for but there will be a modest event fee to participate.

The growing wave of startups and entrepreneurs in Seoul has attracted international attention. In August, Google Inc announced its plans to open a campus for startups in Seoul. Israeli venture capital firm The Yozma Group has announced plans to invest $1 billion in South Korea, and last month, San Francisco¬-based Formation 8 invested $100 million in South Korean startup Yello Mobile.

Propelled by prominent local companies and an unrivaled education system, the city is quickly emerging as a hotbed for tech innovation.

Mayor Park Won¬-soon has created an initiative to push this ‘Creative Economy’ even further. Seoul Metro Government said:

“As Seoul continues to transform, this event will be an opportunity for the city to inspire and support the movers of tomorrow.”

The city has pledged to significantly invest in Global Hackathon, an event that will act as the flagship for Seoul’s Creative Economy Department.

KJ Yoo, Executive Director of Global Hackathon, founded the organization after returning to Seoul and witnessing the tech growth that had already occurred in the five years he’d been away. All Seoul needed, he thought, was an event to stimulate a cultural shift toward a more entrepreneurial environment.

“We are excited with the idea of government, businesses, inspiring leaders, and hackers coming together to collaborate,” Yoo said.

To accomplish this universal goal and design a unique experience, the Global Hackathon team is working with organizers from previous Hackathons at Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Brown, Oxford, Yale, Duke, Berkeley, Michigan State, McGill, Shanghai, Taiwan, Tsinghua, Waterloo, Israel, and Nigeria.

Where do I sleep and is it free?

We will book a comfortable accommodation for the duration of the hackathon. Since we are covering the international travel, the overall event is not free. If accepted, we require a reasonable payment (more information once an invite is extended). 100% of the amount will go towards guaranteeing you accommodation and a spot for GHS.

What do I eat?

There will be a constant flow of scrumptious Seoul cuisine for all attendees. We’ll even have pre-meals, dessert, and food on food on food during the night! Come hungry.

Are there prizes?

GHS is primarily about collaboration, rather than competition. Thus, prizes are not the focus, just a bonus. We will detail the sponsored prizes in the coming months.

I’ve never been to Seoul, how do I explore?

We have dedicated culture and tech teams working to make sure you make the most of your time in Seoul. You'll be able to spend 36 hours working on your hack and at the same time experience Korean music, food, and culture.

You can register and find out more information at https://globalhackathon.io/