-Tangible welfare in daily life—housing, culture, food—equitably accessible to all-
Incheon City is realizing tangible welfare in daily life through the symbolic unit of ‘one thousand won,’ setting an exemplary model of inclusive governance that bridges generations and social classes.
Indeed, in a September resident satisfaction survey by a polling agency, Incheon recorded 64.6%, a 1.6 percentage point increase from the previous month, ranking 5th among 17 metropolitan cities and provincial governments, proving itself a city growing alongside its citizens. Furthermore, it was analyzed as ranking 2nd in the October 2025 big data analysis of the Korea City Brand Reputation*.
*Announced by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute: 1st Seoul, 2nd Incheon, 3rd Busan
The ‘Incheon-style 1,000 Won Policy,’ represented by initiatives like ‘1,000 Won Housing,’ '1,000 Won Delivery,‘ '1,000 Won Breakfast,’ and ‘1,000 Won Culture Tickets,’ is not merely about price reductions. It is a policy realizing Incheon as a fair city where all citizens have equal opportunities.
It also stands as a prime example of shifting administrative focus from system-centered to citizen-centered outcomes. By enabling everyone to access core welfare services at the same cost, it is evaluated as a ‘local government-led living policy experiment’ that achieves horizontal equity beyond vertical equality in welfare.
‘One thousand won’ is not merely an amount; it is a unit of trust Incheon extends to its citizens. While insufficient for even a cup of coffee, Incheon City is using this thousand won to materialize the message that ‘every citizen can fairly enjoy welfare.’
Thousand Won Housing: Youth Settlement, Birth Begins
Through the ‘Thousand Won Housing’ project targeting newlyweds and prospective newlyweds, Incheon City provides a stable living environment for up to 6 years at a rent of 1,000 won per day (30,000 won per month).
The One-Thousand-Won Housing (purchased or jeonse rental housing), supplied at a total of 1,000 units annually, focuses on alleviating housing costs to encourage young people to settle in Incheon and lay the foundation for childbirth and child-rearing.
Additionally, it concurrently supports homeownership for households with newborns through mortgage interest support (up to 3 million won per year), simultaneously pursuing the dual goals of residential stability and encouraging childbirth.
Launched in February this year, the 1,000 Won Housing project had 588 households complete contracts and move in as of September, out of a supply target of 1,000 units. The 1.0 Loan program is currently accepting applications for interest support (until the end of November) and plans to support 3,000 households by year-end.
This policy is being evaluated as an administrative turning point where local governments take the forefront in population policy while resolving housing insecurity among young people.
One-Thousand-Won Delivery: Enhancing Small Business Competitiveness through Daily Logistics Welfare
The ‘One-Thousand-Won Delivery’ is the nation's first public daily logistics model, evolved from the ‘Half-Price Delivery’ introduced in October 2024.
Operating at 30 subway stations with standard delivery at 1,500 won and same-day delivery at 2,500 won, Half-Price Delivery achieved over 6,000 contracted businesses and 500,000 cumulative deliveries within just 8 months of operation, boosting small business sales by an average of 13.9%.
Starting this July, the city expanded support, lowering fees to 1,000 won for standard delivery and 2,000 won for same-day delivery. It also expanded service to all 60 Incheon Subway stations, fully revamping the service as the ‘1,000 Won Delivery’.
As of September, the program has surpassed 640,000 cumulative uses and 6,600 participating businesses, establishing itself as a flagship living economy innovation policy that simultaneously reduces logistics costs for small business owners, promotes eco-friendly transportation, and creates jobs for seniors.
The 1,000-Won Breakfast: Gifting Youth a Fair Start to the Day
The ‘1,000 Won Breakfast’ program aims to reduce meal skipping rates among university students and support healthy eating habits. Students pay only 1,000 won, with the government, local authorities, and universities covering the remainder.
Incheon City has been implementing this program since 2023. Beyond the 1,000 won subsidy, it provides each student with 120g of locally produced rice in kind.
The city plans to provide healthy meals to approximately 236,000 students across 10 universities within its jurisdiction by the end of this year. This represents a roughly threefold increase* compared to 2023, establishing the program as a flagship initiative that simultaneously promotes youth welfare and local rice consumption beyond mere meal support.
* Number of service users: (’23) 80,533 → (’24) 203,293 → (’25) 236,430 (target)
Participating universities: (‘23) 7 → (’24) 8 → (‘25) 11
One-Thousand-Won Culture Ticket: Opening Culture to All
The ‘1,000 Won Culture Ticket’ is a new community cultural welfare policy designed to enable all citizens to enjoy culture and the arts.
Marking its first implementation in October 2025, the program allowed approximately 5,400 Incheon citizens to attend performances by municipal arts troupes, professional soccer matches, city tour buses, and the Wolmi Sea Train, each for just 1,000 won.
In October, the ticket reservation rate for art performances reached 92.6%, with 95.5% of attendees being Incheon citizens, demonstrating high participation rates and significantly improving accessibility for culturally underserved groups and youth.
The program is scheduled to become a regular event starting next year, held in May and October to coincide with ‘Family Month’ and ‘Citizens’ Day'. It is being evaluated as a realistic and sustainable cultural welfare model that increases the utilization of public facilities without excessive budget investment.
Through this, Incheon City is expanding the value of its 1,000-won policy: realizing universal cultural welfare and opportunities for cultural enjoyment open to all.
i-Sea Pass: Innovative Administration Making the Sea Accessible to All
The ‘i-Sea Pass’, enabling Incheon citizens to access 25 non-mainland islands for 1,500 won (one-way), is another project on par with Incheon City's 1,000-won policy.
Introduced this year, the i-Sea Pass achieved 569,943 passenger trips (a 33% year-on-year increase) and generated 5.6 billion won more in tourism revenue within just eight months.
Evaluated as a composite regional balance policy simultaneously addressing island transportation disparities and revitalizing marine tourism, the initiative is expected to boost island tourism revenue, attract more external visitors, and establish a virtuous cycle for the local economy.
Thus, Incheon's 1,000-won policy symbolizes not the size of the amount, but the depth of administration reaching into citizens' lives.
Incheon's journey toward becoming a ‘city where 1,000 won is enough’ and ‘welfare accessible to all’ is establishing itself as a new model of city administration that grows alongside its citizens, going beyond simple support.
