Living-Labs Launched to Solve Urban Problems with Smart Technology

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority is launching a “Smart City Citizen-Participatory Living Lab,” where residents will identify urban problems and propose solutions themselves. 

The living labs will be divided into urban management and daily-life experiment types with participating citizens and experts discussing ways to address inconveniences they encounter in their everyday lives using smart technologies. 

The urban management living lab, in particular, will identify and tackle issues and areas for improvement related to integrated monitoring and the operation of urban infrastructure. 

The IFEZ Authority plans to test promising ideas identified through the living labs and assess whether they can be applied to real-world urban environments.

Cheongna Lake Library to Host SF-Themed Humanities Lecture Series

Cheongna Lake Library will host the “SF Humanities Project: Contemplating Humanity and the Future through Literature” from September 2 to November 18. 

The program was selected for the 2026 Humanities on the Road initiative, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Arts Council Korea and the Korean Library Association. 

The lectures will use science fiction as a starting point for an interdisciplinary exploration of science, philosophy and the humanities. 

Designed as a participatory humanities program encouraging residents to reflect on humanity and the future in an age of rapid technological development, it will cover three areas: understanding science fiction, connecting science fiction with the real world, and meetings with authors.

Gindam Corner House to Offer Cultural Programs in Second Half of Year

The Museum of Korean Modern Literature, operated by the Incheon Foundation for Arts and Culture, will offer cultural programs for residents at Gindam Corner House from September through November. 

The “Thursday Workshop” and “Cushion Humanities” general education literature courses, which began in May, will continue through November with new themes each month. 

Each session will be offered as a four-part course for small groups of around 10 participants. The programs are free, and applications can be submitted online.

Incheon Holds Meeting to Boost Small Manufacturers and Interagency Cooperation

The Incheon Songnim Micro-Enterprise Specialized Support Center, operated by the Incheon Credit Guarantee Foundation, held a meeting on August 14 to promote small manufacturers in the region and strengthen cooperation among relevant organizations. 

Officials from organizations supporting small manufacturers in Incheon attended the meeting, which was held at the Jemulpo-gu Micro-enterprise Cluster Joint Infrastructure, sharing their major support programs and discussing ways to work together in the future. 

The center plans to continue exchanges and cooperation among the participating organizations and develop specific joint initiatives based on the ideas discussed at the meeting.

Incheon Women & Family Foundation Launches Department-Specific Integrity Initiative

The Incheon Foundation for Women and Family is launching a “One Integrity Task per Department” initiative. 

The initiative will take place across all departments to strengthen voluntary efforts to promote integrity, taking into account the characteristics of each department’s work and areas vulnerable to corruption. 

The foundation has been working continuously to improve its internal culture of integrity, with those efforts contributing to notable results in the 2026 Comprehensive Integrity Assessment. 

Going forward, the foundation plans to identify and share best practices and continue monitoring its integrity initiatives so they become an integral part of the organization’s everyday culture rather than one-off activities.

Incheon Education Office Invites Students to 41st Saeul Literary Contest

The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education will hold the 41st Saeul Literary Contest at Incheon Football Stadium on September 12. 

The contest is a nationwide writing competition with a 41-year history and a signature literary event representing the education office’s policies promoting reading, walking and writing combining the use of artificial intelligence, as well as a stronger culture of reading in Incheon.

Participants must choose either poetry or prose, with the topic to be announced at the venue on the day of the contest. Students from Incheon must register in advance to participate, with applications due by September 7.

Sources: https://news.ifm.kr