Incheon & IIAC Still at Odds Over Free Economic Zone Deregistration
The Incheon Metropolitan Government and the Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) remain deadlocked more than two years after disagreements emerged over the proposed removal of the airport area from the Incheon Free Economic Zone.
The two sides have been at odds since 2024 over whether the airport site on Yeongjong Island should be excluded from the free economic zone.
The airport operator argues that the site is subject to overlapping regulations because it falls under both airport regulatory controls and the free economic zone designation, creating unnecessary restrictions on development projects.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, however, maintains that legal safeguards are already in place to prevent duplicate regulations and says it has minimized difficulties in the permitting process.
Future of Drones and UAM to Be Showcased in Songdo
The 6th Korea Drone & UAM Expo 2026 will be held from July 15 to 17 at Songdo Convensia, Incheon National University's Innovation Center, and Songdo Moonlight Festival Park.
Co-hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the city of Incheon, the event is organized by the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology, the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, Incheon International Airport Corporation, the Aerospace Industry-Academia Convergence Institute, Incheon Technopark, and Inha University.
The expo will go beyond showcasing new technologies by featuring advanced technology exhibitions, flight demonstrations, policy promotion, an international conference, a job fair, and hands-on programs for the public.
The event is expected to provide a comprehensive platform where industry leaders, the public sector, and citizens can experience how future mobility technologies will transform everyday life.
Incheon Invites Citizens to Name New Cultural Landmark
Incheon Metropolitan City is launching a public campaign to decide on the official name and brand identity of the city's new integrated cultural and arts complex, tentatively named Incheon Museum Park.
The city said it has begun a comprehensive public consultation process to finalize the official name and branding of the complex, which is scheduled to open in 2028.
As the first step, a survey of citizens and experts will be conducted through July 20. Based on the survey results, experts will narrow down the list of name candidates through focus group interviews before a second public preference survey is held.
The city will then finalize the name and brand identity following a naming committee meeting and a public hearing before unveiling the official brand at a final project presentation.
Incheon Levies 433.4 Billion Won in July Property Taxes
Incheon Metropolitan City has imposed 433.4 billion won in July property taxes on 1,636,789 taxable properties, including homes, buildings, aircraft, and ships. The levied tax amount is up 3.4 percent from a year earlier.
Property tax is a local tax levied annually on owners of homes, land, buildings, aircraft, and ships as of June 1. In July, taxpayers are billed for half of the annual tax on homes as well as the full amount for buildings, aircraft, and ships.
The remaining tax on homes and land is billed in September. The payment period for this year's July property tax runs from July 16 through July 31. A 3 percent late payment surcharge will apply to taxes paid after the deadline.
Korea Modern Literature Museum Opens Special Exhibition on Maps and Literature
The Museum of Korean Modern Literature, operated by the Incheon Foundation for Arts and Culture, will hold a special exhibition titled "Sentences Walking Along the Map, Between Symbols and Landscapes" from July 15, 2026, through March 31, 2027.
The exhibition is the museum's third collection-based showcase and features 121 rare items including maps, gazetteers, travel guides, travel writings, and literary works produced from the Korean Empire period through the post-liberation era.
The exhibited items are expected to help visitors explore how people in modern Korea perceived the Korean Peninsula.
The exhibition presents spaces documented through surveying and mapping alongside places remembered through literature, offering a fresh perspective on how modern landscapes were formed.
Sources: https://news.ifm.kr
