- Incheon offering a wider variety of staycation products on its islands with more benefits - - Goal is to boost local income with increased demand, and give tourists a unique experience - Incheon is hoping to boost local tourism using a wider variety of island staycation products and more benefits with its “Living on Incheon’s Treasure Islands” program. Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it launched its new “Living on Incheon’s Treasure Islands” program on May 29, starting with a 3-day package that takes tourists to either Sindo, Sido, Modo, or Jangbongdo Island. With the addition of Jumundo Island in Ganghwa-gun and Seungbongdo Island, Soyado Island, and Yeonpyeongdo Island in Ongjin-gun to the list of available destinations, the number of products featured in the City’s island staycation program has gone from ten last year to fourteen in 2023. Incheon says its goal is to bring in 2,000 tourists to its islands this year. As an immersive tourism program, “Living on Incheon’s Treasure Islands” uses islands scattered across the City’s coastline to give travelers a great time not only with the resources available on each island, but also with the local inhabitants. This year, the program celebrates its third year (originally started back in 2021). In 2022, just over 600 tourists made their way to the islands of Soijakdo, Deokjeokdo, Boleumdo, Jangbongdo, Sindo, Sido, Modo, Baengnyeong/Daecheongdo, and Jawoldo. A satisfaction survey proved just how good the program was with an average score of 4.45 out of 5 stars. For 2023, Incheon has added products to Sindo, Sido, Modo, Jangbongdo, Deokjeokdo, Soyado, Yeonpyeongdo, Baengnyeongdo, Daecheongdo, Jawoldo, and Soijakdo across Onjin-gun, and has more islands lined up for the second half of the year. As for Ganghwado Island, the City is offering trips to Boreumdo and Jumundo. This year’s “Living on Incheon’s Treasure Islands” program will feature new and interestin

- Old mayor’s residence refurbished into a public library and gallery to promote the City’s history and culture - - Officially opened after an opening ceremony at 14:00 on May 24… Doors to stay open between 9:30 and 17:30, but closed on Mondays - Incheon opened up the old mayor’s residence in Sinheung-dong to the public on May 24. Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it hosted an opening ceremony on the afternoon of May 24 to celebrate the newly refurbished old mayor's residence in Sinheung-dong, which is expected to help the public learn more about the history and culture of the City going forward. View of the old mayor’s quarters building Located at 10, Dapdong-ro 12beon-gil (19-7, Sinheung-dong 1-ga), Jung-gu, Incheon, the old mayor’s residence in Sinheung-dong is a 3-story (two above ground and one basement level), light gray detached wooden house reinforced with concrete. The modern-looking building retains the typical architectural structure of a “culture house” popular throughout the 1930s. Built in 1938, the house blends Western architecture and traditional Japanese architecture during the colonial period, and it served as the official residence of the Mayor of Incheon from 1954 to 1966. The house, which was sold to a private owner in 1977 and used as a family home, was purchased by Incheon in 2020. The City bought back the former mayor’s residence as part of an initiative to preserve buildings of great historical, cultural, and residential value in Incheon, and to use them as cultural venues for local citizens. By doing so, the City is hoping to pass on the heritage, legacy, and values of Incheon to future generations. The opening ceremony included a pre-ceremony performance (chamber music performance), an opening ceremony, a book donation ceremony, and a small concert (songs released in 1938, including Libertango, Narcissus; performed by vocalists Jeong Su-jin and Jung Jin Sung). An exhibition highlighting the h

- On May 18, the Mayor visited a presentation sharing the promotional strategy for a specialized complex to support City officials - - Doing his best to highlight the locational advantages, strengths, and plans to develop a specialized complex in Incheon - Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon Metropolitan City visited the “National high-tech strategic industry specialization strategy presentation” on May 18 at Seoul Square (in Jung-gu, Seoul), and led activities to help attract a new complex specializing in semiconductors. On the day, Incheon announced its strategy going forward, and the Mayor showed his support for the presenters and the public officials involved in the proceedings. Then, he met with judges of the selection committee (for the new industrial complex) to highlight Incheon's strengths, such as the locational conditions best-fit for the advanced packaging of system semiconductors. The Mayor said, “Incheon has everything the semiconductor industry needs. Your work to promote Incheon as being an absolutely indispensable location for Korea's semiconductor industry, our City can build the largest advanced packaging cluster in Korea.” ▲ Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok takes a photo after showing his support to officials at the “National high-tech strategic industry specialization strategy presentation” on May 18 (Seoul Square). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is in the process of its public tender seeking a destination for its new national high-tech strategic industry complex during the first half of this year. Incheon submitted its application and development plan for the specialized semiconductor complex back in February. Incheon has the best location for industrial complexes, a highly competitive aviation/logistics infrastructure, the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ), and multinational corporations. Its cluster of industrial zones in Yeongjong, Songdo, and Namdong-gu offers the perfect place for establishing a

- City hosts event to celebrate winning its bid to open the Overseas Korean Service office in Incheon - - Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok says, “Our aspirations are to become a hub for global business using our overseas business networks” - The local citizenry of Incheon, which threw its full support behind the administration to help win the bid for the Overseas Korean Service, celebrated the beginning of a new era for the City. On May 16, Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) invited the public, including local citizens, members of the ruling and opposition parties, Incheon City Council, officials from the City’s counties and districts, and the education office, to a celebration at the Aetteul Square near City Hall and thanked everyone for their support in bringing the Overseas Korean Service to Incheon. The day's event was to express the City’s gratitude to the 3 million citizens of Incheon who sent their continued support for Incheon's hosting of the Overseas Korean Service, and to share the new hope of becoming the home of 10 million people going forward. Prior to the City winning its bid early this month, the entire civic society, including local lawmakers, City Council, the City’s counties and districts, the education office, and various social organizations across Incheon, stepped up to help bring in Overseas Korean Service to the City. The entire community came together to launch the Civic Campaign Headquarters, showing its determination and commitment toward the Overseas Korean Service. The event started with a video showing how the City’s administration was able to win its bid for the Overseas Koreans Service, then its future vision for the Office, followed by a congratulatory message from citizen representatives, an invitational performance by the Incheon Multicultural Children's Choir, and a ceremony to celebrate the Overseas Koreans Service. In particular, citizens prepared peony flowers to mark the momentous occasion, and Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok

Garden to feature themed gardens adorned in five different colors, skywalk-type observation deck, parking lot, monorail, etc. - Free admission on opening day, various immersive programs available on weekends in May - Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it is ready to open the Ganghwa Hwagae Garden, the first local garden in Incheon, on May 13. The City decided to build the Hwagae Garden after the new Gyodong Daegyo Bridge created more demand for tourism resources among residents near the northern border of the country. The Garden is part of the Hwagaesan Tourism Resource Project, which was launched to help revitalize the local economy in Incheon. The Hwagaesan Tourism Resource Project stretches across 146,913㎡, equivalent to 20 football pitches (7,140㎡ each). A total of KRW 48.9 billion went into the Project to create a five-color themed garden, a skywalk-type observatory, a dedicated parking lot, and a monorail system. Hwagae Garden (110,000㎡) was first approved by the Korea Forest Service in Incheon on April 24, and was soon after registered as a local garden. Home to more than 180,000 trees, shrubs, and flowers, the park is particularly important in that it includes trees and plants donated by local residents. Not only that, the garden itself was cultivated together with the locals. The five-color themed garden consists of a water garden, a history and culture garden, a memory garden, a peace garden, and a healing garden. Also, ponds, some mooring facilities, rock gardens, artificial waterfalls, sculptures, photo zones, shelters, etc. all provide a variety of attractions for visitors to see and enjoy. In particular, the skywalk-type observatory offers a panoramic view of the Yeonbaek Plain in Hwanghae-do, North Korea, which is 7km away from the summit of Hwagaesan Mountain. Hwagae Garden - Skywalk Observatory Furthermore, the Garden will get various immersive programs such as stamp tours and traditional folk games to offer a more

City to extend its full support to open the Overseas Korean Service, and plans to actively promote necessary policies – The Overseas Korean Service, which is scheduled to open this June, is coming to Incheon. With that, Incheon has secured a new growth engine that could help it take another leap forward as a bona fide global city with 10 million domestic and foreign citizens. Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok hosted a press conference at City Hall on May 8, and announced that the Overseas Korean Service has made its decision to come to Incheon. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced with a briefing on the same day confirming that the Overseas Korean Service is indeed coming to Incheon. Press Conference hosted by Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok Incheon succeeds in bringing the Overseas Korean Service to Incheon Reports have confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will create the new Overseas Korean Office, an organization dedicated to supporting overseas Koreans, as one of its external organizations after a bill for the Overseas Korean Service was passed in February. Scheduled to open on June 5, the Overseas Korean Service will feature 151 employees, and will be in charge of establishing and implementing policies for overseas Koreans, supporting overseas Koreans as well as overseas Korean groups, and implementing relevant service policies. Launching ceremony for citizen’s group to bring the Overseas Korean Service to Incheon The Overseas Korean Service is expected to serve not only as a central administrative agency for overseas Koreans, but also as a strategic hub to attract investments through the myriad of networks established by Koreans overseas. Meanwhile, Incheon is the place where Korea's first modern immigration began. On December 22, 1902, 121 Koreans from Jemulpo Port emigrated from Japan to Honolulu, Hawaii, aboard a ship bound for Nagasaki, Japan. Declaration of Support for the Korean American Small Business USA The City will work closely wi

- City releases content for IncheonCraft and hosts event in celebration of Family Month in May - - On and offline programs perfect for the entire family - Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) is hosting the “2023 IncheonCraft Family Festa” featuring content based on the metaverse game “Minecraft” to celebrate Family Month in May. The Festa offers a variety of ways to enjoy the attractions Incheon has to offer. The event, which gets under way on May 5 (Friday), Children's Day, and ends on May 31 (Wednesday), will involve a virtual platform called “IncheonCraft” that blends interesting elements connected to Incheon’s past history, its culture, and future industries. The City plans to use this opportunity to raise awareness of “IncheonCraft” and communicate with a wider audience. The Festa has plenty of programs and content - available both online and offline - lined up that are perfect for family users. It includes videos for IncheonCraft produced in collaboration with popular YouTubers, a cinematic video titled, “Fly through the sky! Time Traveler Koon,” in-person visitor booths, and a souvenir event for IncheonCraft users. As for the videos on IncheonCraft, Incheon has worked with popular YouTubers such as DINO, DUCKGAE, U_Seong, and GGUMONG. These videos will be YouTube Story-type videos tailored to the YouTube platform, and showcase different programs and content, including fun little mind games between the featured YouTube creators, available at the Festa. In total, Incheon will release a total of seven IncheonCraft collaboration videos in sequential order on the YouTube channels of DINO, DUCKGAE, U_Seong, and GGUMONG on May 5 (Fri), May 7 (Sun), and May 16 (Tue). On May 12 (Friday), Incheon will also unveil its cinematic production “Fly Through the Sky! Time Traveler KOON” made using Urban Air Mobility (UAM), which is considered a future mode of mobility. This video will be available on IncheonCraft's official YouTube channe

- Songdo, Incheon, to host ADB Annual Meeting from May 2 to 5 (4 days) - - Both organizations to continue cooperation after the Annual Meeting - On May 1, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa at the ADB President's Office located in Songdo Convensia to discuss how the City and ADB can work together to ensure the success of the upcoming 56th ADB Annual Meeting. Both parties also shared ideas on future cooperation and plans for mutual growth between the two organizations to continue the cooperative relationship between Incheon and ADB once the Annual Meeting ends. The meeting was held as part of the build-up for the 56th ADB Annual Meeting scheduled between May 2 and 5. The ADB Annual Meeting is a top-level international conference attended by more than 5,000 guests, including delegations from 68 ADB member countries and financial institutions from all over the world. This year, the ADB Annual Meeting resumes as an in-person event after a four-year hiatus, a decision that was made to avoid the ill effects of COVID-19. The 56th ADB Annual Meeting is about “Rebounding Asia: Recover, Reconnect, and Reform.” Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “I tip my hat to ADB for playing a crucial role in the prosperity and harmony across the Asia-Pacific, and in particular, promoting economic cooperation for more sustainable development and active response to climate change in the region. In anticipation of the ADB Annual Meeting, Incheon has established a safe and prompt 24-hour disaster response system across all areas, including medical, safety, sanitation, and quarantine, to help ensure its success.” The Mayor added, “We have prepared various tourism programs as well as culture and art events to welcome every one of our guests, including the ADB delegation and other officials, traveling to Incheon on behalf of all 3 million of its citizens. We sincerely hope everyone has a great time and immerses themselves in all

- People can now buy up to KRW 1 million in Gift Cards (previously limited to KRW 300,000) and still benefit from a higher cashback offer of 7~10% -- More offers coming in September (Chuseok), and up to 15% payout for purchases at local produce markets in October - Incheon is temporarily raising the ceiling on transactions and cashback offer when using the Incheon Sarang Gift Card this May as the City gears up to stimulate spending throughout Family Month (May every year) and the 2023 K-Sale Festival*.*”2023 K-Sale Festival (Hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups): Hosted nationwide three times a year (May, September, December) on/offline to stimulate spending, a festival featuring a variety of large and small shopping platforms to boost sales for SMEs and small businesses Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that the City is easing restrictions on the Incheon Sarang Gift Card (people can buy up to KRW 1 million for the month of May), and also raising the cashback offer to 7~10% depending on merchant sales throughout the month. With households struggling from a combination of high prices, high interest rates, and high exchange rates, this new offer is expected to encourage families to spend more, which will help improve sales for small businesses that make up an essential part of local communities. Ultimately, the goal is to stimulate the economy across Incheon and alleviate the pressure on people’s wallets. As a result, in May, the purchase limit for the Incheon Sarang Gift Card and cashback offer will go from KRW 300,000 to KRW 1 million. Moreover, the cashback rate will also go from 5% to 7% for merchants with annual sales north of KRW 300 million, and 10% for merchants with annual sales of up to KRW 300 million. For example, in May, if you spend KRW 1,000,000 using an Incheon Sarang Gift Card at a store with annual sales of KRW 300 million or less, you can get KRW 100,000 back as part of the City’s cashback program. Incheon plans

- City reorganizes Circular 43 and 46 bus routes, creates new Circular 47 bus, while closing down the Circular 44 bus - - Incheon analyses bus usage patterns to reshuffle its routes... Update expected to make the City’s public transportation system more convenient to use - With Incheon deciding to reorganize its intra-city bus system in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, the updates are expected to make the City’s public transportation much more convenient to use. Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) has looked at grievances filed by local users pertaining to overcrowded buses to and from new apartment complexes during rush hour and insufficient buses to local schools. The revised intra-city bus system (Circular 41~43, Circular 46~47 routes reorganized) will apply as of April 29. Based on results from analyzing mobile communication data and I-MOD (Incheon’s on-demand bus service) traffic over the past year for the intra-city circular bus route, the City divided its districts east and west to reorganize its bus routes. Here, it used the Korea Coast Guard office, which turned out to be the most frequently used destination for local residents, as a central axis. 표정보 No. Route No. Operational Status and Conditions 1 Circular 41 Lineextended to service Songdo 1-dong (zones 2, 4), Songdo 3-dong (zones 5, 7),and Yeonsong High School 2 Circular 42 Lineextended to service Songdo 2, 4, 5-dong (excluding zones 6, 8), Shinsong HighSchool, Global Campus 3 Circular 43 Linesconsolidated to service Songdo 2, 4-dong (excluding zone 6) and Techno ParkStation (hub station); Circular 44 (zones 5, 10) closed 4 Circular 46 No.98 to service sections in Songdo 2, 4-dong (zones 1, 3) previously servicedby Circular 41 5 Circular 47 Linesconsolidated to service Songdo 1-dong (zones 4), Songdo 5-dong (zone 8),Yeonsong High School, Art Center Incheon, and subway Incheon added one more bus to its Circular 41 and Circular 42 buses each, bringing the total to nine buses for each rout