Incheon Metropolitan City has successfully concluded its year-end experiential public campaign, titled “Happiness Forecast,” drawing strong public participation. The campaign, held at Hyundai Premium Outlets Songdo, wrapped up on December 31, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, far exceeding initial expectations. It also generated significant online attention and has been praised for “opening a new chapter in public campaigns.” Based on the campaign’s success, Incheon City plans to further expand hands-on and participatory communication content to strengthen engagement with residents.
A recent study shows that seven out of ten senior citizens in Incheon experience feelings of loneliness. According to a report titled “Measures to Address Loneliness Among Seniors in Incheon,” released by the Incheon Research Institute, 70.8 percent of residents aged 60 to 80 were classified in the “loneliness group.” Notably, 68.4 percent of those surveyed reported feeling lonely despite not being socially isolated, suggesting that loneliness is not simply an issue of living alone or family status.
The Incheon Green Agenda 2026 Design Competition will run from December 8 through January 30, 2026. The competition is hosted by the Incheon Specialized Construction Landscape Council and organized by the Incheon chapter of the Korea Specialty Contractors Association. The public contest aims to gather proposals that present a city-wide landscaping vision alongside concrete improvement measures at the neighborhood level. Selected proposals will be reviewed and compiled into the Incheon Green Agenda 2026 Policy White Paper.
The Incheon Credit Guarantee Foundation has announced a 124.5-billion-won special guarantee program for local small business owners, in cooperation with five financial institutions. KB Kookmin Bank, NH NongHyup Bank, Shinhan Bank, KakaoBank, and K Bank will jointly contribute 8.3 billion won, and the foundation will use the fund to provide working capital support tailored to local businesses. Customized guarantees will be provided to small businesses which will be categorized into startups, scaling businesses and growth-phase enterprises depending on their growth stage. Guarantee fees are set at approximately 0.8 percent per year.
The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education is expanding programs and strengthening teacher training for Bada School, now in its fourth year. From April through the end of the year, the office plans to operate programs for 2,800 participants, including 800 students in the “Bada School to the Islands” and 2,000 in the “Muui Bada School” programs. The school will also introduce an “Island BioBlitz” program this year, where students and marine experts survey species distribution on islands and create exploration maps.
Residents at an apartment complex in Incheon have come together to raise donations after a security guard collapsed while on duty. According to the apartment management office in Yeonsu District, the man in his 70s, who had worked at the complex for three years, collapsed from acute myocardial infarction after finishing leaf cleanup work on December 1, at around 5 p.m. He was rushed to the hospital by emergency responders and successfully underwent surgery. After learning of the incident, residents set up a donation box at the apartment entrance and raised 3.3 million won, which was recently delivered to the man’s family.
Efforts to restore the concrete-covered Mansucheon stream in Incheon into a waterfront space are officially underway. Namdong-gu announced it has commissioned basic and detailed design work for partial restoration of the stream, with a budget of 1.54 billion won. Once the detailed design is completed, the project will undergo a second central investment review, as required by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, with construction targeted to begin as early as next year.
Sources: https://news.ifm.kr
