-Mayor Yoo Discusses Korea-U.S. Joint Research and Innovation Technology Commercialization with Johns Hopkins Faculty-Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon met with Professor Jonathan Schneck of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his delegation in the reception room at Incheon City Hall on the afternoon of December 3.This meeting was arranged to discuss various cooperation plans with the Johns Hopkins faculty, who are organizing the ‘Johns Hopkins Global Bio Innovation Summit’ to be held in Incheon on December 4.Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, Professor Jonathan Schneck, and Kim Deok-ho, Director of the Johns Hopkins Global Biotechnology Innovation Center, plan to continue discussions on: ▲Future Korea-U.S. joint research and industrialization of bio-innovation technologies centered in Incheon ▲Attracting a Johns Hopkins University research center (RD center).Professor Jonathan Schnek of Johns Hopkins University stated, “I expect Korea-U.S. bio cooperation centered on Songdo to establish itself as a new global innovation model.”Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon City declared, “Incheon City will actively support the creation of a bio industry ecosystem that connects research and development to industrialization and global expansion through cooperation with world-class research institutions, global companies, and industry associations.”

- Industry, academia, research institutes, and government put their heads together... Sharing cases of hospital placement and sales expansion through education and training-Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it held the ‘2025 Metropolitan-Level Domestic Medical Device Education and Training Support Project Results Exchange Meeting’ at Songdo Michuhol Tower on December 3, in collaboration with Incheon Techno Park (President Lee Joo-ho).This event was organized to share key achievements from the past year and strengthen cooperation and exchange between participating institutions and medical device companies.Approximately 50 attendees, including Incheon City's Semiconductor Bio Division Chief Jo So-young, Incheon Techno Park's Bio Carbon Zero Project Team Leader Han Jae-gil, representatives from Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Inha University Hospital, HLB BioStep Co., Ltd., medical device companies, and related institutions, participated, demonstrating keen interest.The ‘Metropolitan-level Domestic Medical Device Education and Training Support Center’ is a project supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, hosted by Incheon City and Incheon Techno Park, and jointly participated in by Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Inha University Hospital, and HLB BioStep Co., Ltd.This project aims to enhance product reliability, reflect field demands, and ultimately support product procurement by providing systematic education and training on the use of domestic medical devices to users, including medical personnel.At this event, the progress of the 2025 project and the outcomes of the education and training operations were presented, followed by discussions on the direction for the development of the medical device industry. Additionally, the Korea Chemical Convergence Testing Research Institute presented on ‘Medical Device Market Trends and Outlook,’ covering domestic and

-Establishes Core Collaboration Framework with Celltrion, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, and Inha University Hospital-Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it signed two strategic agreements to complete the full-cycle ecosystem for the bio industry at the ‘2025 Pharmaceutical Bio Investment Fair’ held at the Premier Ballroom of Songdo Convensia on December 2.On this day, Deputy Mayor Ha Byeong-pil personally announced the ‘Incheon Bio Innovation Strategy (IBIS)’, defining Incheon's future model as a “Bio Growth Partner” amidst the rapidly changing restructuring of the bio industry. He specifically presented the direction for creating a full-cycle bio innovation ecosystem centered on Songdo, Yeongjong, and Namdong.Notably, through this strategy announcement, Incheon City expressed its strong determination to expand into a ‘global bio city centered on technology and medical innovation,’ leveraging its world-leading production capabilities. It clearly stated its intent to transition beyond a production-focused city into an innovation-centered city, focusing on AI and quantum-based new drug development, and fostering a venture and talent ecosystem.The subsequent signing ceremony drew significant attention as two key agreements were signed to ensure the sustained growth of Incheon's bio industry.The first agreement, the “Incheon-Celltrion Joint Growth Agreement,” aims to strengthen the technology and RD ecosystem centered on Songdo. It includes advancing ▲RD, ▲open innovation, and ▲global joint research, complementing production and supply chains. This is seen as a key industrial strategy to balance Incheon's ‘production-centric’ structure.The second agreement, the “Incheon-Gachon University Gil Medical Center·Inha University Hospital Medical Innovation Agreement,” centers on connecting the clinical capabilities and medical data assets held by research-focused hospitals in Incheon with biotech companies'

- ‘Incheon-Style Content Policy’ Born from Communication and Cooperation... Continued University-Linked Public-Private-Academic Seminars -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) has successfully held this year's ‘i+ Design Seminar’ twice, solidifying the foundation for an Incheon-style content policy through a public-private cooperation model.Successful First Session Explores Potential of ‘Incheon-Style K-Content’The first ‘i Design Seminar: K-Content’, held at George Mason University Korea Campus on May 22, took the first step toward establishing a development model for ‘Incheon-style K-Content’.Starting with a presentation on K-Content by Professor Lee Kyu-tak, a judge for the Korean Popular Music Awards, practitioners from private companies like Hanwha Corp. (Fireworks Festival), SM CC (MICE business), and public institutions like the Incheon Tourism Organization (MICE Team Leader) shared real-world cases. They explored the potential for creating original K-Content leveraging Incheon's abundant assets and technological capabilities.2nd Seminar: Designing Incheon's Future with Youth VoicesThe 2nd ‘i+ Design Seminar: Youth Designing Incheon’, held at Inha University on November 27, highlighted the role of youth in Incheon's sustainable development.Professor Baek Seung-guk of Inha University presented on the theme ‘Incheon: A Ludic City Where Youth Stay,’ offering a fresh perspective on the city. Participants including Incheon Spectacle (a local content production company), the President of Inha University's Student Council, and Incheon City's Youth Special Adviser shared vivid experiences and ideas from young people.Small group discussions organized around diverse interests—career/employment, architecture/urban planning, entrepreneurship/IT, culture/arts, and travel/lifestyle—were a highlight, allowing youth to freely express honest and creative opinions about a unified future.The Inha University Student Council President dir

-Highest honor among 66 local governments, practical support program for community integration receives high praise-Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it won an Encouragement Award at the ‘2025 Local Government Foreign Resident Support Excellence Case Competition’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on December 1st for its ‘Foreign Worker Settlement GPS Governance, Policy Safety!’ program.This competition featured fierce competition, with only 8 cases advancing to the finals after expert pre-screening and public online voting (ON National Communication) from 66 local governments out of 226 nationwide that submitted foreign resident support cases. Incheon City won the Encouragement Award by presenting its innovative ‘Foreign Worker Settlement GPS’ model.Notably, Incheon City has implemented systematic and practical initiatives including: ▲ opening a Foreign Worker Center for Root Industries, ▲ producing and distributing multilingual safety manuals, ▲ expanding Korean language education (with 2,613 participants), and ▲ supporting the transition to skilled worker visas (E-7-4). These efforts focused on integrating foreign workers not merely as workplace labor but as neighbors within the local community, earning high praise. Providing practical assistance for foreign workers to successfully settle into the community is analyzed as the key success factor.Following last year's achievement, Incheon City has won the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award for the second consecutive year for its ‘AI-based Medical Support Service for Foreigners’. Notably, this year, alongside the Minister's Award, the city received 30 million won in special grants. This funding will serve as crucial seed money to further expand and enhance its foreign resident support policies.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok stated, “Our policy design, which aims to help foreign workers become neighbors in the community rather than just workplace labor

- Promoting localized safety guardians through taxi wrapping ads that follow daily routes -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) is running a promotional campaign utilizing exterior taxi advertisements across Incheon from November 25 through year-end.This campaign employs ‘wrapping ads’ on taxis to convey the existence and role of the autonomous police force. Its goal is to help citizens naturally recognize the activities of the Incheon Autonomous Police in their daily lives and reinforce the image of ‘Safe City Incheon’. It focuses on naturally exposing citizens to the activities of the Incheon Autonomous Police within their daily routines by utilizing ‘taxis’, which all citizens repeatedly encounter regardless of age, region, or time of day.Particularly, the ‘wrapping advertisement’ method, applied to the exterior rather than the interior of taxis, is expected to have a significant visual impact, greatly enhancing citizens' awareness of the autonomous police.The advertisement carries a short yet powerful message: “Safe City Incheon, ‘Incheon Autonomous Police’ by Your Side / With Autonomous Police, Incheon is Safe ON.” This phrase was meticulously designed to instantly capture citizens' attention, make the autonomous police force easily recognizable, and intuitively convey the image of Incheon as a ‘safe city’ to its residents.Taxis, which encounter citizens hundreds of times daily throughout the city center, serve as a prime mobile advertising medium. This wrapping advertisement is projected to achieve significantly higher exposure frequency and perceived impact compared to static outdoor advertisements. The Incheon Autonomous Police Committee anticipates this campaign will serve as a crucial opportunity for citizens to understand the role of the autonomous police in a more approachable way and feel safety in their daily lives more tangibly.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok stated, “Above all else, Incheon City prioritizes citizen safety

-Honored for ‘Gaehangjang’ policy where history and future coexist...Proving Asia's finest urban landscape-Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) achieved the honor of winning the Grand Prize at the 2025 Asia Townscape Awards (ATA) ceremony held on November 27.The Asia Townscape Awards is an internationally prestigious award that selects and honors outstanding cities, regions, and projects that provide Asian citizens with a happy living environment and serve as models for other cities. It is jointly organized by five institutions: the Korean Society of Landscape Architecture, UN-Habitat Fukuoka Office, Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Institute, Habitat Asia, and the Asian Society for Landscape Architecture. Held annually since 2010, it has established itself as a platform for discovering and sharing outstanding landscape examples from major Asian cities.This year, three Korean institutions—Incheon Metropolitan City, Suwon City, and the Korea Rural Community Corporation—received the award. In total, 11 cities from 6 Asian countries shared the honor of receiving the main award.Incheon City was recognized for its ‘City Where History and Future Coexist: Incheon Gaehangjang Historical and Cultural Landscape Conservation Policy’. This award highly commended Incheon's systematic preservation of modern architecture, urban fabric, and landscapes scattered throughout the Incheon Gaehangjang area, along with its sustained efforts to revitalize the region. This win is expected to further accelerate the Jemulpo Renaissance initiative and the historical and cultural landscape conservation policy.In her acceptance speech, Hwang Hyo-jin, Vice Mayor for Global City Affairs, stated, “This award is a meaningful moment that showcases the power of Incheon Port Area's history and culture internationally,” adding, “It is the result of the dedication of both citizens and public officials who have preserved and nurtured Incheon's unique historical and cultural landsc

-Sharing Overseas Expansion Achievementsof 25 Participating Companies and Reviewing Local Programs in Malaysia andVietnam-Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor YooJeong-bok) and the Incheon Creative Economy Innovation Center (Director LeeHan-seop) announced the holding of the ‘2025 Youth Overseas Expansion BaseSupport Project (hereinafter referred to as Cheongjingi)’ Achievement SharingSession at the Sheraton Hotel in Songdo, Incheon on November 27.This event provided an opportunity forthe 25 youth startups participating in this year's Youth Overseas ExpansionBase project to share their achievements in the global market and expand theirfuture expansion strategies.▣ Review of 2025 Overseas Programs andSharing of On-site ExperiencesThe sharing session featuredpresentations on the achievements made by the companies throughout the year,including the overseas programs conducted in Malaysia and Vietnam.In Malaysia, the program focused ontechnology validation and establishing local partnerships. In Vietnam, actuallocal market testing was conducted, including operating pop-up stores, consumersurveys, and live streaming. Through these experiences, participating companiesdirectly observed local reactions, reflected them in product/serviceimprovements and strategy development, and generated tangible results. Thiswent beyond simple promotion, leading to overseas contracts and sales expansionbased on actual market data.▣ 25 Participating Companies PresentGlobal Achievements and StrategiesThe 25 participating companies sharedtheir overseas activity results and future strategies, with some demonstratingtangible international achievements and proving their global competitiveness.Robigos Co., Ltd. achieved KRW 2 billionin overseas sales through collaboration with a Malaysian logistics anddistribution partner. It also broke ground on a KRW 66 billion top-tierintegrated smart logistics center to establish an AI logistics hub in Malaysia,proving its market expansion potential.Anghod

Maximizing Efficiency Across All Areas of Disaster, Safety, and Environment, Laying the Foundation for Smart City Incheon -Expanding Across All Areas of Environment, Facilities, and Safety … Accelerating Incheon-Style Drone Demonstration City -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced it is significantly enhancing administrative efficiency across all areas including disaster, safety, and environment by establishing an innovative urban management system utilizing drones.This year, Incheon City invested a total of 3.795 billion won (approximately $3.095 million), including 2 billion won in national funds and 1.795 billion won in city funds, to solidify the drone ecosystem foundation and lay the groundwork for realizing Incheon as a future smart city.This project consists of:▲Establishing a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) Drone Demonstration City▲Building an Incheon-style Drone Demonstration City ▲Support for drone testing and evaluation ▲Establishment of a smart drone marine environment management system.Notably, Incheon City has been selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Drone Demonstration City project for four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025, solidifying its position as a leading drone city in name and reality.The ‘K-Drone Delivery Commercialization Project’ has brought revolutionary changes to the lives of residents in island areas like Deokjeokdo. On Deokjeokdo Island, drones delivered a total of 126 daily necessities. A pilot project using drones for marine debris collection was also conducted at Parraegeum Beach in Buk 2-ri, Deokjeok-myeon, a coastal area vulnerable to litter. Furthermore, drones are utilized for patrolling high-crime areas on the island and responding to emergencies, contributing to a safer environment for citizens.Incheon City operates an efficient control system centered around the Drone Urban Management Center. Through field-based services like building adm

- Kiel Research Institute Invests 40.8 Billion Won to Establish ‘Circular Economy Lighting Industry Support Center’ by 2028 -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced on November 10 that Kiel Research Institute was finally selected as the tenant company through the second sale of industrial facility land in the Gyeyang Industrial Complex. This marks the transition of the 40.8 billion won investment agreement signed last September into the full-scale investment phase.Kiel Research Institute plans to construct and operate a ‘Circular Economy Lighting Industry Support Center’ in the Gyeyang Industrial Complex, investing a total of 40.8 billion won by 2028. This center aims to develop eco-friendly lighting technologies, cultivate local talent, and advance the lighting industry.The support center will focus on recycling waste LED lighting products and developing resource circulation technologies, while promoting the demonstration and commercialization of carbon-reducing smart lighting systems. It will also support the strengthening of technological competitiveness and export expansion for local SMEs through the development of AI-based Human-Centric Lighting (HCL) technology and the establishment of testing and certification infrastructure.Incheon City plans to use this investment as an opportunity to accelerate the formation of a lighting industry cluster in the metropolitan area and actively support the digital transformation and global market entry of local lighting companies.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok stated, “The investment agreement signed last September is now translating into actual investment, injecting new vitality into Incheon's industrial ecosystem,” adding, “We will foster Incheon as a hub for the advanced lighting industry and take the lead in creating youth jobs and achieving carbon neutrality.”Incheon City anticipates that this investment will generate approximately 127.6 billion won in production and added value and create 800 job