- Second Asian Country to Host the Event after Thailand in 2011 - Events to be held at Songdo Convensia from Aug. 12 to 15, with 3,000 South Korea and Foreign Visitors South Korea hosts its first World Rubik’s Championship hosting the cube fans of 63 countries around the world in August. Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) and Incheon Tourism Organization (CEO Hyeon Baig) announced that the Rubik’s WCA World Championship 2023 would be held at Songdo Convensia from August 12th (Sat.) to 15th (Tue). The event, hosted by the WCA (World Cube Association) and organized by Korea Cube Culture United, is an international competition with more than 3,000 participants. With this event, South Korea became the second Asian country to host the event after Thailand did in 2011. The WCA has been holding competitions of various levels, including the world championship games ever hosted worldwide every two years. And they have a very wide fan base, with more than 200,000 accumulated participants from 150 countries today. This year’s competition includes Speedcubing, where participants will compete to solve the most popular 3x3x3 cubes fastest. Apart from this event, there will be other events, such as solving a cube with one hand, solving cubes blindfolded, and more, totaling 17 events. There will also be team relay matches, with three members in each time, between national teams. Chungjin Kim, the Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said, “It is a great honor to host the WCA World Championships for 2023 in Songdo, Incheon, for the first time in South Korea,” and added that “we will not spare any support to ensure that the cube fans of South Korea and the rest of the world may enjoy the event to the fullest.” Further, he commented, “Since there are many foreign participants, I believe that the event will help boost the local economy.’ WCA World Championship 2023 Poster

- K-POP stars BTOB, Oh My Girl, Golden Child, WEi in the lineup –- Tickets available for free on 14:00 on August 7 -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced the lineup for the 14th INK Concert (Incheon K-POP Concert), which gets under way at the Munhak Stadium at 19:00 on September 9 (Sat), 2023.INK Concert is a K-pop festival hosted by Incheon since 2009 to attract both domestic and international tourists, and to give locals a chance to enjoy the latest in K-POP music. Every year, it brings in more than 20,000, making it one of the largest and most popular Hallyu concerts in Korea.To attract more tourists in connection with the INK Concert, Incheon has various promotions as well as products developed with the Incheon Tourism Organization and other travel agencies in Korea and abroad. The City is expecting more than 7,000 international travelers at the INK Concert this year.In addition to the K-POP concerts, Incheon has plans for other events, including an intimate fan meet-and-greet with some of the performers at the Concert and programs featuring various “K-culture” items.Some of Korea's top idols, BTOB and Oh My Girl, along with Golden Child and WEi are promising some eye-catching performances at the INK Concert. Also in the lineup are rising rookies like H1-KEY, XIKERS, woo!ah!, TRIPLES, and 8TURN.Tickets for the INK Concert will be available on the Ticket Link website (http://www.ticketlink.co.kr) starting at 14:00 on August 7 (Mon). Each person can buy up to two tickets. Although the ticket itself is free, you will have to pay a small booking and delivery fee.Details on participating artists, programs, and reservations are available on the INK Concert website (www.inkconcert.com). For other inquiries, please contact the INK Concert Secretariat (phone: 1599-7860).The 14th INK Concert Poster

- Yoo Jeong-bok administration completes 43 projects in just a year, 153% of its target - - City has managed to attract the Overseas Koreans Agency, abolish tolls for Yeongjong and Incheondaegyo Bridges, attract the global bio campus, etc. - All indicators suggest the 8th democratically elected metropolitan administration of Incheon is well on track to delivering on its election promises. Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) commissioned its own interim inspection to gauge where its administration stands in terms of fulfilling election pledges made during the 8th democratic mayoral election, and to find means to bring lagging projects back on track to meet established targets. Of the 10 key policies, 120 promises, and 400 initiatives pledged during the election, 365 were at least in line with annual targets, whereas 43 were already complete or ongoing. This means, in total, Major Yoo Jeong-bok’s administration has already delivered on 10.8% of its election pledges. This is 5.1%p higher than the progress made by the previous administration during the same period. It also means the City is ahead of schedule (by 153%) compared to its goal set for 2023 at just 28 pledges completed. During the election, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok and his camp promised to complete 183 new initiatives by 2026, and 132 initiatives with target dates beyond his term in office. Most projects were longer-term initiatives involving railway and road constructions. Considering that it takes time to establish a master plan, conduct a feasibility study, and commission other services required during the early stages of these initiatives, Incheon appears well on its way to meeting its targets on time or even earlier than originally scheduled. ￭ Project by target completion date (unit: projects) Sort Total Within current term After current term Total 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Total 400 267 8 20 27 30 183 132 Election pledges 178 102 5 7 15 15 60 76 Publicly proposed pledges 222 165 3 13 12 15

- City improves access to medicine by adding ten more pharmaciesin Seo-gu (Geomdan and Cheongna) and Yeonsu-gu -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) says it is adding more public late-night pharmacies this year, bringing the total from 13 at the end of last year to a total of 27 in eight districts across Incheon as of the end of June.Last year, Seo-gu (Geomdan, Cheongna) and Yeonsu-gu residents has no late-night pharmacies nearby. Fortunately, however, this year, Incheon designated 10 new public late-night pharmacies across Seo-gu and Yeonsu-gu. This means that wherever you are in Incheon, you can find a public late-night pharmacy within a 3km radius (15 minutes)Public late-night pharmacies sell medicines and offer advice on medication for emergencies during late-night hours (10:00 pm to 1:00 am, including holidays).The number of public late-night pharmacies in Incheon, first of which was created in 2019 (three pharmacies), increased to five in 2020, 11 in 2021, and 13 in 2022. This month, the initiative will take a massive leap forward to reach 27 in total.Ganghwa and Ongjin are exceptions. Given the sparse population, there is little demand for pharmacies during late-night hours. Thus, the City has been unable to find a pharmacy willing to stay open at night. Incheon plans to weigh its options and find a solution that works instead of public late-night pharmacies to make sure it keeps both locals and tourists healthy at all times.Meanwhile, Incheon inspects public late-night pharmacies at least once a month. Special inspections on late-night pharmacies between June 20 to July 2, confirmed that all 27 locations were open as required during late-night hours.Shin Nam-sik, Director of the Health and Welfare Bureau of Incheon, said, “Expanding the list of public late-night pharmacies is meaningful in providing public medical services to all citizens of Incheon without any gaps.” He added, “We will explore all of the options at our disposal, such as se

… Incheon becomes first to hostIUGG General Assembly in Korea- Songdo to host “2027 International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly” for 11 days in July 2027 -- More than 5,000 experts from all over the world heading over to Incheon to share their research in geodesy and geophysics -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok), Incheon Tourism Organization (CEO: Hyeon Baig), and the Korea Tourism Organization (CEO: Jang-sil Kim), together with the IUGG Korean Committee (President: Lee Sang-Mook), have won their bid to host the “2027 International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics General Assembly (IUGG)” for the first time in Korea.At the 28th IUGG Berlin General Assembly in Berlin, Germany, on July 18 (local time), Incheon managed to beat out the competition thanks to great accessibility, culture and tourism resources, and MICE infrastructure across the City.This means the IUGG General Assembly, held every four years, will be coming to Asia for the second time in 20 years - IUGG General Assembly was last held in Asia back in 2003 (Japan). As an international academic conference that promotes research and academic achievements in the field of geosciences, the General Assembly is also a great place to coordinate future research.This IUGG General Assembly will get under way at Incheon's Songdo Convensia for 11 days from July 12 to 22, 2027. Incheon is expecting more than 5,000 scientists and experts from both Korea and abroad to attend the event. By hosting The IUGG General Assembly, the City is hoping for a massive boost economically and socially. In particular, the event could generate up to KRW 16.6 billion in production and income.Director of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Kim Chung-jin said, “Incheon has already hosted a number of international events and summits, including the 56th Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting in Songdo last year. Based on our experience and know-how in hosting international events, we will spare no support fo

- On July 11 (Tue), all three parties meet and sign the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to Create a Co-living Space in the Metropolitan Area” -- Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi-di agree to address ten common issues, including the disposal of waste from the metropolitan area, and building a wide-area transportation network -- New MOU could become a driving force in solving critical issues and improving the quality of life in the metropolitan area -Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi-do have decided to address common issues in the metropolitan area, including waste disposal and the construction of a wide-area transportation network, together.Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Dong-yeon met in Suwon (Dodamso) on July 11 to sign the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to Create a Co-living Space in the Metropolitan Area.”Signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation to Create a Co-living Space in the Metropolitan Area between Gyeonggi-do, Seoul, and IncheonAs part of this new initiative, Incheon, Seoul, and Gyeonggi-do will look to establish a “co-living” zone, and find new ways together to improve the quality of life of residents across the metropolitan area by establishing a foundation of mutual trust between the three municipalities.According to the MOU, all three parties agreed to help solve ten common issues pending in the metropolitan area. These ten issues are: ▲Stable and efficient waste management in the metropolitan area; ▲Resolving railway/subway issues and promoting the arterial road network project in the metropolitan area; ▲Bringing the Gyeongin and Gyeongbu Line underground; ▲Introducing eco-friendly metropolitan buses, expanding inter-city bus routes, and adding more late-night bus services; ▲ Amending/abolishing outdated and unreasonable metropolitan area regulations; ▲Offering mutual support for international sports and international events; ▲ Expan

- City removes 92 banners, including banners put up by political parties,in just two days -- Other Gun/Gu districts to start removing illegal bannersin most complained about areas -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) and Yeonsu-gu (Governor: Lee Jae-ho) say they have finished removing banners in violation of the “Incheon Outdoor Advertising Ordinance.” The initiative, which started on July 12, has helped Yeonsu-gu remove all illegal banners across its district in just two days.Previously, on June 8, Incheon amended its City Ordinance pertaining to banners put up by political parties. Now, political parties must post banners in designated zones only and limit the number of banners to four per electoral district. But, perhaps most importantly, banners cannot contain hate messages or content that slanders opposing parties. Thereafter, the City spent more than a full month promoting the new initiative, and on July 12, it started removing illegal banners.On July 12, Yeonsu-gu officials remove banners in violation of Incheon’s Outdoor Advertising Ordinance near Sogeumbat Sageori intersection.On July 12, Yeonsu-gu officials remove banners in violation of Incheon’s Outdoor Advertising Ordinance near Sogeumbat Sageori intersection.Meanwhile, the council of Gun/Gu Governors adopted a resolution to remove all illegal banners under the amended City Ordinance, and Yeonsu-gu volunteered to be the first to comply with the new resolution.On July 12, more than 17 officials roamed across the district and removed 84 illegal banners from 47 locations. Political parties also volunteered to remove some of their own banners that were in violation of the amended City Ordinance (33 banners). On the following day, July 13, Yeonsu-gu officials combed through the district again, removing eight banners from eight locations. In Yeonsu-gu alone, 92 banners were removed from 55 locations in just two days.Since removing these illegal banners, Yeonsu-gu has not seen any new bann

- Rising local demand, subsiding threat of COVID-19, and opening of the Overseas Koreans Agency push Incheon to resume service -- City plans to add more buses and explore additional routes this December -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that airport limousine bus no. 6777 from Songdo to Incheon International Airport will resume its service on July 14. Previously, bus no. 6777 was suspended due to COVID-19.Airport limousine bus no. 6777 (Songdo↔Incheon International AirportBus no. 6777 runs from Songdo to Incheon International Airport, and was an important means of transportation for the local residents of Songdo, who have a hard time getting to and from the Airport via the subway network. The number of passengers using bus no. 6777 dwindled during COVID-19, and the City had no choice but to suspend its operation in January 2021.Local residents have been asking the City to resume bus no. 6777, yet the administration was hesitant to resume service with COVID-19 still around. Now that COVID-19 has become more of an endemic disease, and the fact that the Overseas Koreans Agency opened on June 5 in Songdo, Incheon is ready to resume bus no. 6777. As such, the City negotiated with local transportation companies, and agreed to resume service in July.Three buses will run the route twelve times a day at service intervals between 30 and 90 minutes. In particular, the City extended the route to start from the Incheon International Airport's Passenger Terminal, making bus no. 6777 much more convenient for Songdo residents in plot no. 8. Also, passengers traveling between Incheon Port and the Airport will have a much easier time transiting to the next leg of their journey.Moreover, upon consulting with local transportation companies, the City plans to secure three additional buses this December and create a new route from the Incheon Bus Terminal to Incheon International Airport that passes through all of the major stations on Incheon Metro Line 1 and

- Incheon Metropolitan City-Yonsei University Consortium helps win the public tender commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare -- New Campus to train and develop more than 2,000 experts in bio industries from low- to middle-income countries annually, making the domestic bio industry more competitive than ever -- Incheon to open facilities in the first half of next year, soft open the Campus in the second half, and fully open at the end of the year -Incheon has once again proven itself to be a “super-gap” Mecca for the bio industry.Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok), together with Yonsei University, applied for the “Global Bio Campus Project” commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in May. The Ministry recently announced its final decision to approve Incheon’s bid to host the main campus of the Global Bio Campus (GTH-B).* GTH-B: Global Training Hub for BiomanufacturingPreviously, in February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) chose Korea as a global training hub for bio industry experts. To that end, the Korean government submitted a letter of intent to train more than 2,000 global bio experts from low- and middle-income countries each year to contribute to solving the inequality in global vaccine development and distribution.Vaccine and bio-processing traineesVaccine and bio-processing traineesFollowing up on this plan, in May, the government posted a public tender for the Global Bio Campus Project nationwide to help address the rising demand for manpower in the domestic bio and vaccine industry, to strengthen the competitiveness of the bio industry, and to nurture experts in the bio-pharmaceutical production process from low- and middle-income countries.Upon learning the news of this Project, Incheon quickly formed a consortium with Yonsei University on June 2 and submitted a proposal for the Global Bio Campus (GTH-B), which was also part of a pledge made by the City’s 8th democratically elected administration. F

- Mayor highlights cooperation and exchange with a new Pan-Yellow Sea economic community between Korea, China, and Japan -- Gives a special lecture on “The role of local governments” atNankai University, one of China’s most prestigious universities -Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, who is on a trip to China, proposed a trilateral conference between governors and mayors at the helm of local governments in Korea, China, and Japan to facilitate cooperation and exchange between the three countries and help build a better future for Northeast Asia.The Mayor emphasized the role of local governments in improving the relations between Northeast Asian countries at a special lecture for Chinese and international university students at Nankai University, one of China's top five prestigious universities, on June 29.Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok giving a special lecture on “Why Korea should pay attention to Incheon” to Chinese and international university students at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, on June 29.Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visiting Nankai University in Tianjin, China, on June 29 and taking a tour around the Nankai University History Museum.Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok taking a commemorative photo after the “Cultural Exchange Performance to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Sister City Agreement between Incheon and Tianjin” (Grand Theater in Tianjin, China) on June 29.The trilateral conference between governors and mayors of Korea, China, and Japan to facilitate growth could give the three countries an opportunity to discuss potential exchanges between local governments.Currently, Korea hosts separate meetings with China and Japan. Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok proposed the trilateral conference to bring the three countries together and discuss the future of Northeast Asia as a collective. By doing so, the Mayor is hoping that the heads of local governments in Korea, Japan, and China can strengthen mutual cooperation by establishing a new P