- Incheon hosts event to celebrate the new administrative reform billat the National Assembly -- Bill will be hailed as a successful case of change and development, municipal autonomy, and decentralization of power -On January 17, Incheon hosted an event celebrating the passage of its administrative reform bill at the National Assembly.More than 300 guests were in attendance, including Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, Incheon City Council Vice-Chairman Lee Bong-rak, National Assembly members Kim Kyo-heung and Heo Jong-sik, Jung-gu Office Governor Kim Jeong-heon, Dong-gu Office Governor Kim Chan-jin, Seo-gu Office Governor Kang Beom-seok, members of the Incheon Metropolitan City Council and Jung-gu, Dong-gu, and Seo-gu Councils, members of the Public Communication Council for Administrative Reform, and members of Incheon’s Senior Council.The guests were given a chance to enjoy a variety of programs and attractions, such as a puzzle showing Incheon’s autonomous districts and drones carrying messages of encouragement.Event celebrating the passage of Incheon’s administrative reform bill at the National AssemblyMayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “The passage of our administrative reform bill by the National Assembly is a significant step in Incheon’s history and a bridgehead for new changes and development in Incheon. It will also be hailed as a successful milestone in the development of municipal autonomy and decentralization of power in Korea.” The Mayor added, “Now that a very important and big piece of the puzzle has been laid in Incheon’s leap forward as a world-class city where all citizens can be happy, we will actively promote custom-designed development plans for Jemulpo-gu, Yeongjong-gu, Seo-gu, and Geomdan-gu in line with the new administrative system.”Meanwhile, Incheon’s administrative system will go from two Gun and eight Gu districts, which has remained unchanged since March 1995, to two Gun and nine Gu districts on July 1, 2026. This merges Jung-gu and Don

- New monument celebrating the 120th anniversary of Korea’s first migrants to the United States and 20 years of friendship with sister city Honolulu -- Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok says, “I hope our new sculpture can become a landmark for Koreans visiting Hawaii as well as second and third-generation immigrants across the US” -Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok celebrated 120 years of Korean immigration to the United States and 20 years of friendship between Incheon and Honolulu.The Mayor visited Honolulu, Hawaii, Incheon’s sister city, on January 12 (local time) and met with Hawaii State Governor Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok meets with Hawaii Governor Josh GreenThe Mayor also attended the unveiling ceremony of a sister city sculpture at Pawa'a In-ha Park and a stele at the Honolulu Port Pier 7. Previously, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited Honolulu on December 13, 2002, to meet then Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, and agreed to exchange sculptures to commemorate the friendship between the two cities. Later on, both parties determined that a stele commemorating the historical significance of Pier 7 at Honolulu Port, where Korean immigrants first arrived, would also be a great addition to the legacy of Korean migrants in Hawaii.Unveiling ceremony of the new sister city sculpture celebrating 20 years of friendship between Incheon and HonoluluIncheon prepared a 1.5m-wide, 1.5m-long, and 3m-tall sculpture at Pawa'a In-ha Park themed “Beautiful friendship between two cities, heading into the future beyond 120 years.” It also built a stele measuring 0.7m-wide, 0.45m-long, and 1.3m-tall containing historical information on the arrival of Korean migrants from Jemulpo Port. At the top is an embossed image of the Gaelic, which sailed across the Pacific to bring the first batch of Koreans to Hawaii.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said at the event, “I look forward to building on the past 20 years of friendship between our two cities, and ensure 200 years of sh

- Mayor will attend CES 2024 to share his future vision for Incheon and discuss ways to support startups across the City -- Mayor also visiting Honolulu, known as the first destination for Korean immigrants to the US, to shed new light on Incheon’s immigration history and strengthen friendly relations -Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is on his way to attend the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and visit Incheon's sister city, Honolulu, Hawaii.The Incheon Metropolitan City Office announced that Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok will go on a 7-day business trip to the United States from January 8 to January 14.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok will attend CES 2024, the world’s largest home appliance and information and communication (ICT) exhibition, held in Las Vegas from January 9 to 12 (local time).Incheon is the only local government from Korea to open a booth promoting its Free Economic Zone (Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Pavilion) in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, which serves as the main exhibition hall for CES 2024. Meanwhile, 16 companies from Incheon are joining the Korea’s K-Startup Pavilion.The Mayor plans to attend the CES opening ceremony and tour both Pavilions to support companies and participants from Incheon at CES. In order to discuss the continued interest in and active support for Incheon startups, the Mayor plans to meet with corporate officials from Samsung Electronics, HD Hyundai, LG Electronics, SK, Lotte Data Communication, and Hyundai Motor Company Supernal participating in this year’s CES as well.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok will then visit Honolulu, Hawaii, and meet with Hawaii Governor Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi to improve the friendly ties between Incheon and Honolulu and seek new means to strengthen cooperation.In particular, the Mayor will attend the unveiling ceremony of the Incheon-Honolulu sister city sculpture at Pawa'a In-Ha Park, and the unveiling ceremony of the marker at Pier 7 of Honolulu Port, where Korean immi

- Sends a message to congratulate and support babies born on New Year's Day and their families -- Mayor says “100 million + i dream” program, offering KRW 100 million until a child turns 18, will “help with childbirth and childcare” -Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok welcomed his newest constituents born in the New Year and congratulated their families.On January 1, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited the neonatal unit at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Namdong-gu and celebrated the birth of the first contingent of babies who are expected to benefit from the City’s new “100 million + i dream” policy.On January 1, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited the neonatal unit at Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Namdong-gu and celebrated the birth of the first contingent of babies who are expected to benefit from the City’s new “100 million + i dream” policy.At 11:00 am on January 1, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited Gachon University Gil Medical Center to congratulate and support newborns and their families, and promised that his administration will do its best to help take care of the future of the City.Babies born this year will be the first to receive a total of more than KRW 100 million in support until they turn 18 under Incheon’s own childbirth policy named “100 million + i dream.”The “100 million + i dream” supplements the government policy that offers KRW 72 million in parental benefits, child allowances, childcare fees, education fees, and first meeting vouchers until the age of 18 with an additional KRW 28.7 million from the City’s own budget to provide an Angel Support fund (new), Child Dream allowance (new), transportation support for pregnant women (new). In total, each child born in 2024 is eligible to receive more than KRW 100 million until they turn 18.The Mayor said, “With the rapidly decreasing birth rate, our country is facing an existential crisis.” He added, “My administration will do its best to ease the pressures

- Every newborn in Incheon to get KRW 100 million until the age of 18 - - City urges the Korean government for a major shift in its policies - On December 18, Incheon Metropolitan City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok announced the City’s new “100 million + i Dream” policy offering KRW 100 million to every newborn child in Inchon. 100 million + i Dream is the first policy of its kind in the country to provide uninterrupted support at all stages of a child’s upbringing from the prenatal stage to age 18. The key is to cover blind spots in the national policy and provide support where needed. Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok announces Incheon’s new “100 million + i Dream” policy at a press conference held in the briefing room of Incheon City Hall on December 18. Press conference announcing Incheon’s new “100 million + i Dream” policy In addition to the KRW 72 million currently available for each child (including parental benefits, child allowance, “first meeting” vouchers, and elementary, middle, and high school education subsidies), the City is now offering an extra KRW 28 million in “Angel Support” (KRW 10.4 million), “i Dream Allowance,” and transportation expenses for pregnant women. Depending on certain conditions (e.g. individual eligibility requirements and income), parents can receive up to KRW 340 million from the City. Given that Incheon has already secured the budget for its new policy next year, it plans to complete the required administrative processes (e.g. coordinating with other social security systems) to activate the program on the earliest possible date. Angel Support is a project that provides a total of KRW 8.4 million (KRW 1.2 million per year) in addition to the KRW 2 million in first meeting vouchers that celebrate the birth of a child through ages 1 to 7. It applies to children born in 2023 who turn a year old next year. Also, for the first time in the country, Incheon is offering what it calls the “i Dream Allowance,” which

- Zone D (230,000㎡) follows Zones A and B (210,000㎡) returned back in 2019 - - Incheon wants to establish a master plan for next year and build a second medical center as well as a botanical garden after extensive public discourse - Camp Market, which was used as an armory during the Japanese colonial period in 1939 and then as a US military base in Korea after liberation, has been returned to Incheon. Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok held a press conference at City Hall on December 20 and announced that control over Zone D (230,000㎡) of the Bupyeong US Military Base (hereinafter referred to as “Camp Market”) is now back in the hands of Korean authorities (US Forces Korea →Ministry of Defense), and that the entire compound (440,000㎡) will be handed over to the public. Layout of Camp Market View of Camp Market The Korean government also announced the return of Camp Market Zone D on the same day as well. Camp Market's relocation plan was finalized in accordance with the 2002 Korea-US Land Partnership Plan. In December 2019, Zones A and B (210,000㎡) were handed back to Korea, but US Forces stayed in control of the remaining Zone D. SortReturned Area (440,000㎡)Surrounding Area(Bupyeong Park, etc., 160,000㎡)Zone AZone BZone DArea109,961㎡100,804㎡229,235㎡164,938Returned (US Army → Ministry ofDefense)December 11, 2019December 20, 2023-Contamination Cleanup (Ministryof Defense)June 2020 ~ December 2023June 2020 ~ December 2023(After return)-PlanNew Incheon Medical CenterFire station, roadsParkPark, roadsPark, etc. Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “After 84 long years, we now have full control over Camp Market once again. On behalf of all 3 million of my constituents, I sincerely welcome the full return of Camp Market to Incheon.” The Mayor added, “The Camp Market project will involve a full cleanup of the compound, and we will take in feedback from the public and use it to determine how we develop the area going forward. We want to connect the area to

- Committee includes 30 experts from various fields and members selected from the general public... Different departments created to promote efficiency -- Committee will provide policy advice, including feedback on proposed projects in its master plan to be announced this month -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it commissioned 30 members to the “Jemulpo Renaissance Committee” featuring experts from various fields and held its inaugural meeting in the Video Conference Room at City Hall on December 13.Commissioning Ceremony and Inauguration Meeting for the Jemulpo Renaissance CommitteeThe Jemulpo Renaissance Project is a flagship urban development project launched by Incheon’s 8th democratically elected administration. It involves redeveloping Incheon Port’s inner harbor and old downtown area in Jung-gu and Dong-gu into a culture, tourism, and industry hub powered by sustainable growth engines. Incheon plans on expanding the scope of the Projecto to include all of its old urban centers.The City established a new Committee to help promote the Project, which was the first pledge of the current administration, more efficiently and to come up with a plan to revitalize Jemulpo-gu (tentative naming) and its surrounding areas. The Committee is chaired by Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, and features experts in different fields as well as City and District council members, and private sector experts.The Committee will be tasked with establishing and amending the “master plan” for the Project, identifying and promoting major policies, improving laws and other systems, advising on the overall Jemulpo Renaissance Project, and communicating with the public To improve efficiency, the Committee will be divided into an “Old Downtown Division” and “Inner Port Division” in the form of subcommittees.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “We’ve worked very hard to give back the waterfront area around Jemulpo to our citizens for the first time in 140 years. In that sense,

- City expands its network of “priority signaling service for emergency vehicles” from 11 to 53 fire departments -- Additional emergency vehicles are getting special units that turn traffic signals green to ensure quicker response time -Incheon Metropolitan City plans on giving priority to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks dispatched in response to an accident or disaster.The City announced that it is expanding its “priority signaling service for emergency vehicles” so that emergency vehicles can reach their destinations quickly and safely without waiting at or violating traffic signals.Priority signaling service for emergency vehiclesThe priority signaling service for emergency vehicles was launched as a pilot project across eleven fire departments and fifteen emergency vehicles connected to the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) in April this year. Given its success, Incheon is expanding the program to 113 emergency vehicles across 53 government agencies from November.When an emergency vehicle requests the priority signaling service using a device installed inside the vehicle itself, an artificial intelligence (AI) system automatically collects the vehicle's current location, real-time traffic information, and computes when and how to control traffic signals to keep the road open as the emergency vehicle drives to the scene of an accident or disaster. 

- Incheon Culture and Art Center offering premium year-end performances between KRW 10,000 and 20,000 per ticket - Incheon if offering a variety of performances to celebrate the end of the year. Going against the recent inflation, the City is giving locals a chance to enjoy premium performances in a top-quality venue at a reasonable price between KRW 10,000 and KRW 20,000. This year, Incheon will host year-end performances at various locations across the City given that the Incheon Culture and Art Center is undergoing some renovations. Each performance is expected to add some color to the end of 2023 with a variety of sessions, including a choir concert for Christmas, a Korean dance performance showcasing the power of K-culture, and a year-end concert to make people look forward to a new year and new spring. Singing the excitement and joy of Christmas. On December 14 (Thursday), the Incheon Metropolitan Choir will perform its “Merry Christmas” concert at Songdo Art Center Incheon in eager anticipation of Christmas. In the first half of the concert, soprano Yun-Jeong Lee and the Lafuse Players Orchestra will perform “Magnificat” by John Rutter, a renowned choral composer of the 20th century from England. Next, Lee will sing a collection of various carols and winter songs with the “Wizard Choir,” a children’s choir that won a gold medal at the Gangneung World Choir Competition. Incheon Metropolitan Choir “Merry Christmas” An album of beautiful scenes and Korean dances the world is passionate about On December 16, the Incheon Metropolitan Dance Theatre will perform at the Bupyeong Art Center in a year-end special project “Landscape of Korean Traditional Art,” that could offer a glimpse into the various scenes of beautiful Korean dance, with commentary delivered by Park Eun-young. “Landscape of Korean Traditional Art” by the Incheon Metropolitan Dance Theatre Special Christmas tales by pianist Yoonhan Incheon Culture and Art Center's signature

- Center to educate, train, and showcase domestically produced medical devices for domestic and foreign medical personnel -- Covers the entire bio industry, from bio medicines to medical devices -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it hosted an opening ceremony for the “Incheon Metropolitan City Education and Training Support Center for Korean Medical Devices” on November 30 at HLB Biostep Co., Ltd. in Songdo, with more than 150 officials from related organizations and companies in attendance.Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok delivers a welcome speech at the “Opening Ceremony for the Incheon Metropolitan City Education and Training Support Center for Korean Medical Devices” at HLB Biostep on November 30Notable attendees included Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, Kim Hyeon-joo (Director of the Health Industry Promotion Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare), Kim Dong-seok (Director of the Industrial Promotion Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute), Park Heung-gyu (Deputy Director of Gachon University Gil Hospital), Choi Gwang-seong (Director of the Biomedical Research Institute at Inha University Hospital), Moon Jeong-hwan (CEO of HLB Biostep), and Lee Joo-ho (Director of Incheon Techno Park), all of whom congratulated the opening of the Center and vowed to make the Center a success.Designed to develop the domestic medical device industry, the Center supports education, training, and exhibitions so that domestic and foreign specialists and related medical personnel can try using domestically-made medical devices and eventually purchase local products.Supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea Health Industry Development Institute, and Incheon Metropolitan City, a consortium between Incheon Techno Park, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Inha University Hospital, and HLB Biostep Co., Ltd. will invest KRW 18.8 billion over five years to open and operate the Center.Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “Incheon is no. 1 in the wor