- Project to improve park accessibility and convenience by reconnecting the interrupted green corridor; completion targeted for May next year -The Incheon Grand Park Office of Incheon Metropolitan City announced that construction on a pedestrian greenway* connecting Zones 2 and 3 of Central Park will begin on May 13 as part of the Central Park revitalization project.* Pedestrian Greenway: A pedestrian greenway refers to a landscaped pedestrian walkway where vehicle access is prohibited.Established in 2005, Central Park is the only belt-shaped park in Incheon, stretching 3.9 kilometers in length and 100 meters in width from Gwangyo-dong in Michuhol-gu to Ganseok-dong in Namdong-gu. The park has long served as a major urban green corridor and one of the city’s representative recreational spaces.However, because Central Park is divided into nine separate zones, park users have experienced inconvenience when moving between sections, as they were required to use pedestrian crosswalks. To address this issue, Incheon installed two pedestrian greenways, Gaongyo Bridge and Wolungyo Bridge, in 2020, receiving positive evaluations in user satisfaction surveys.In particular, citizens noted improvements in internal circulation routes and pedestrian safety within the park, leading the city government to pursue an additional project connecting Zones 2 and 3 of Central Park.The new pedestrian greenway will connect Zones 2 and 3 of Central Park through a steel pipe girder bridge measuring 3.5 meters in width, with a main bridge span of 38 meters and a total length of 111 meters. The project will be carried out with a total budget of KRW 4.3 billion.The project is designed to naturally reconnect the park’s green corridor, allowing citizens to move more freely throughout the park while ensuring safe and convenient access for all users, including transportation-vulnerable groups. Beyond its functional role as a connection route, the greenway will also feature a design that harmoniz

- Focus on preventing violations in advance through information sharing and joint inspections in the environmental sector -Incheon Metropolitan City signed an MOU with the Korea Environment Corporation’s Seoul Western Regional Headquarters on May 8 at the corporation’s conference room in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, to create a cleaner urban environment and jointly respond to environmental risk factors.The agreement was signed to strengthen the management of businesses with potential environmental pollution risks and establish a cooperative framework between the two organizations for preventing environmental violations and developing effective response measures.Under the agreement, the two organizations will cooperate in various areas, including sharing analytical information on waste treatment, conducting joint inspections of businesses suspected of causing air pollution, sharing response measures for businesses subject to frequent complaints, and transferring techniques related to integrated environmental monitoring systems.“This agreement is meaningful in that it establishes a foundation for strengthening the environmental pollution management system,” said Choi Jong-mun, Head of the Incheon Special Judicial Police Division. “We will continue working closely with the Korea Environment Corporation to create a safer and cleaner Incheon that citizens can truly experience.” 

- Public-private partnership applies brokerage fees of 2% or lower to ease the financial burden on small business owners -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it signed a public-private partnership agreement on May 6 with Mukkebi, Shinhan Bank and Kona I to launch a public delivery app service aimed at easing the burden on small business owners struggling with high commission fees charged by private delivery platforms and revitalizing the local economy.The public delivery app service is designed to improve the profit structure of small business owners affected by private delivery platform brokerage fees of up to 7.8%. By linking the service with the Incheon eum local currency payment system (Incheon Love Gift Certificate), the city also aims to promote local consumption and establish a sustainable delivery ecosystem that benefits both small business owners and citizens.Under the agreement, small business owners using public delivery apps such as “Mukkebi,” “Ddangyo,” and “Baedal e-Um” will be subject to brokerage fees of 2% or lower, which is expected to significantly reduce their operating costs. Incheon plans to establish a virtuous cycle of local consumption by integrating payment services with the Incheon eum local currency system (Incheon Love Gift Certificate).“This project is a win-win policy that reduces burdens on small business owners while enhancing convenience for citizens,” said Kim Sang-gil, Director of the Incheon Economic and Industrial Bureau. “We will closely manage the overall operation of the service so that it can become a sustainable platform that both small business owners and citizens can genuinely benefit from.”

- 126-space parking facility near Sinpo-dong and Chinatown improves convenience for residents and tourists -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it officially began operating the Open Port Public Parking Lot in May to address chronic parking shortages in the Sinpo-dong and Chinatown areas of Jung-gu.Located at 2-1 Hang-dong 4-ga in Jung-gu, the Open Port Public Parking Lot was developed in an area with high parking demand due to its proximity to Sinpo-dong’s key commercial district and Chinatown, one of Incheon’s leading tourist destinations.The city expects the new parking facility to improve convenience for visitors to the Open Port area while helping resolve longstanding issues related to illegal parking and traffic safety risks.The parking facility was constructed with a total project cost of approximately KRW 5.6 billion funded by national and municipal budgets. Built as a two-story, three-level above-ground structure, it occupies a site area of 2,174.1 square meters with a total floor area of 2,937.91 square meters and provides a total of 126 parking spaces.To enhance convenience for users, the parking lot will be operated free of charge until June 30, 2026, after which it will transition to paid operation beginning July 1, 2026. Under the paid system, parking fees will follow Incheon’s public parking fee structure: KRW 600 for the first 30 minutes, KRW 300 for each additional 15 minutes, and KRW 6,000 for all-day parking.In addition to the Open Port Public Parking Lot project, Incheon is pursuing various measures to address parking shortages experienced by citizens, including the expansion of public parking facilities through fiscal investment, the development of parking facilities within school complex projects, the activation of parking-sharing platforms, and the establishment of smart parking systems.“With the establishment of the public parking lot in the Open Port and Chinatown areas, we expect citizens and tourists to be able to use the old

- Reflecting demand for transport to Yeouido by improving commuting conditions between Songdo and Seoul -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced the adjustment to the operating schedule of the M6751 metropolitan express bus route, which runs between the main gate of e-Pyeonhansesang Songdo in Incheon and Gongdeok Station Exit 6 in Seoul. The new schedule will be effective starting May 4 to keep up with passenger demand.The M6751 route was first introduced in August 2022 to reduce commuting time to central Seoul and improve transportation convenience for Songdo residents. Following the implementation of the semi-public operation system for metropolitan buses in October 2024, Incheon and the transportation operator overcame various challenges, such as vehicle procurement and driver recruitment, and secured all eight licensed buses by November 2025 to achieve stable operations. This route provides direct, transfer-less service connecting e-Pyeonhansesang Main Gate, Central Park Station (Booyoung Songdo Tower), Yeouido, and Gongdeok Station.While increased vehicle deployment in November 2025 reduced headways and improved convenience, there has been continued demand for schedule adjustments reflecting route-specific usage patterns. Based on six months of monitoring, the city plans to move the first inbound (Incheon to Seoul) departure earlier by approximately 10 minutes to better accommodate morning commuting demand to areas such as Yeouido. The outbound (Seoul to Incheon) schedule will also be adjusted to better reflect user demand.In particular, Seoul-based workers commuting to Songdo, including those at the Overseas Koreans Agency, previously had difficulty arriving at work on time, as the first outbound bus to Songdo arrived around 9 AM. With the adjusted schedule, earlier departures are expected to significantly improve commuting conditions.Incheon also plans to further enhance transportation convenience by increasing the number of buses on another

- Customized consults provided on-site with participation of administration, labor, and visa experts -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it successfully held a comprehensive briefing on the foreign employment system to support a stable supply of workforce for manufacturing companies amid changes in foreign labor policies.The briefing was held at the Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with about 100 representatives from local manufacturing companies in attendance. While reliance on foreign workers in industrial settings has been increasing, companies have struggled to maintain their workforce due to complex administrative procedures and a limited understanding of relevant systems. The event was organized to address these challenges.According to 2025 statistics, the number of foreign workers steadily increased from 273,139 in the first quarter to 282,839 in the fourth quarter. In contrast, the number of workplaces employing foreign workers in Incheon decreased from 3,160 to 3,132 during the same period. This indicates that companies are encountering practical limitations in specialized areas such as employment permit applications, visa changes, and labor management.Reflecting the on-site demand, Incheon invited experts across four key fields and conducted practice-oriented, customized training. The program included: Practical Administration, procedures related to foreign employment (Kim Soo-hyeon, Administrative Attorney, K-Job Edu Administrative Office); Labor Management, employment contracts and legal considerations (Lee Hong-seok, Certified Labor Attorney, Ho HR Labor Law Firm); Visa Policy: securing skilled workers and employment linkage, including F-2 visa conversion (Kim Ji-yeon, Director, Refugee Policy Division, Ministry of Justice); and Policy Guidance: introduction to Incheon’s support programs for foreign workers and hiring companies (Kim Yoon-hee, Manager, Poory Industry Foreign Worker Center). Participating companies p

- Two additional buses added from April 24, increasing units from 3 to 5 to reduce headways during commuting hours -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that two buses will be added to the M6464 metropolitan express bus route, which operates from “Hillstate Lake Songdo 2-cha” in Songdo, Incheon, to Gangnam Station in Seoul, to reduce service intervals, starting April 24.The route began operations on February 28 to address transportation inconveniences for residents in Songdo District 6 and parts of District 3, where the population has recently increased due to the move-in of large-scale apartment complexes, enabling direct travel to Gangnam without transfers.At the time of launch, there was a possibility of schedule adjustments due to delays in vehicle procurement and driver hiring. However, Incheon secured the necessary vehicles and personnel through coordination with the transport operator and commenced service with three buses, including one chartered bus, to improve transportation convenience for Songdo residents.With this expansion, the number of buses on the M6464 route will increase from three to five on weekdays (including one chartered bus), significantly improving user convenience by reducing headways during peak commuting hours by approximately half.Since the implementation of the semi-public operation system for metropolitan buses, overall service reliability has improved. Incheon plans to continue expanding the number of units for metropolitan express buses (M Bus) and direct seat buses through close cooperation with transport operators.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok stated, “Expanding the metropolitan transportation network connecting key hubs in the capital region is a critical task for ensuring citizens’ mobility rights and enhancing urban competitiveness. We will continue to improve the citizens’ quality of life by establishing a balanced transportation infrastructure.” 

- Policy synergy among affiliates of the Ministry of Environment emphasized, “Enhancing national environmental policy efficiency must come first” -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) has launched a full-scale administrative and political effort to secure justification for retaining key institutions in the region, in response to the government’s discussions on the “second-phase relocation of public institutions.” The city emphasized that this response goes beyond simple inter-regional competition and represents a strategic choice aimed at maximizing the overall efficiency of national policies.On April 23, Incheon announced that its “Task Force for Responding to Public Institution Relocation and Integration” visited the labor union of the Korea Environment Corporation as part of a series of on-site communication initiatives. The visit was organized to proactively respond to relocation discussions at the National Assembly and central government level, while also directly hearing on-the-ground perspectives to refine policy arguments.Incheon identified “policy-wise synergy” as the primary rationale for retaining the Korea Environment Corporation. Currently, major affiliates of the Ministry of Environment—including the National Institute of Environmental Research and the National Institute of Biological Resources—are concentrated in the city, forming a tightly-knit “environmental cluster.”During the meeting, Shin Jae-kyung, Vice Mayor for Global City and Political Affairs, explained the historical background, stating, “Incheon’s comprehensive environmental research complex was established based on the understanding and cooperation of citizens who endured environmental damage from the capital area landfill.” He added, “Forced relocation that disrupts this functional concentration of institutions could significantly undermine the continuity and efficiency of national environmental policy.”The city also identified potential org

- Administrative procedures to be completed within first half of the year, including integration of 1.03 million m² park area, followed by application -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that the city has completed the integration of Sorae Marsh into a single park as part of its efforts to designate the area as a National Urban Park, and will begin full-scale operations to transform the area into a natural space that blends with the citizens’ lifestyles.Sorae Marsh is a symbolic natural ecological resource in the Seoul metropolitan area, featuring vast tidal flats, tidal channels, and diverse halophytic vegetation. It also holds significant landscape value with its distinctive West Coast scenery and serves as a historical and cultural site, home to Korea’s first salt warehouse—currently under consideration for municipal registration as cultural heritage—along with former salt fields.To preserve and utilize these resources at a systemic level, Incheon has steadily carried out preliminary procedures for park integration, including the establishment of an urban management plan for the first-phase project area of 1.03 million m², and plans to complete all related administrative procedures within the first half of this year.In addition, following the amendment of relevant legislation on August 26, 2025, which established the basis for designation as a National Urban Park, Incheon will submit its application after the law comes into effect on August 27, 2026.Through the Sorae Marsh project, the city aims to create the first National Urban Park in the capital area, meeting global standards, where the unique natural environment of the West Coast harmonizes with historical and cultural assets.In particular, the project will be implemented as a citizen-participatory model rather than a solely government-led initiative. Citizens will participate directly in the designation process and help shape the park’s future.To achieve this goal, Incheon

- Full support for six companies to utilize IBM’s 127-qubit quantum computer -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) is accelerating the development of a quantum computing ecosystem, the core technology of the cutting-edge future industries, by launching a “super-gap strategy” to support local companies.In collaboration with Yonsei University, the city is recruiting companies to participate in the “2026 Incheon Quantum Computing Utilization Support Project.” This initiative aims to provide local companies with access to quantum computing technologies that were previously out of reach for private enterprises due to high technical barriers and infrastructure costs, thereby strengthening their competitiveness in future industries.Quantum computing is a next-generation technology capable of processing complex calculations in a fraction of the time required by conventional supercomputers. However, its use has thus far been limited primarily to a few global companies, resulting in low accessibility for industrial applications.To tackle this issue, Incheon will select six promising local companies and support their use of Yonsei University’s IBM 127-qubit quantum computer. Selected companies will be able to use approximately 350–550 minutes of QPU runtime to develop algorithms and verify technologies for their respective services.The city views this project as a strategic foundation for expanding Incheon into a “quantum transformation (QX)-based industrial ecosystem,” going beyond mere technical support. The city government expects companies to apply quantum algorithms to drug development, logistics optimization, advanced materials design, and other fields, thereby enhancing Incheon’s competitive edge in industries with high added value.Eligible applicants are companies located in Incheon that seek to utilize quantum technologies and develop related algorithms, or those planning to relocate to or establish operations in the city within three mo