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

- Mineral water bottles, beverage bottles… Empty them, remove the labels, crush them, and close the cap -- Incheon to focus on promoting the recycling program for clear PET bottles across the City between April and June - Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it is launching a “Recycling program for clear PET bottles” from April to June to promote waste recycling and secure high-quality raw materials for recycling. This new policy is aimed at raising the awareness of locals on the recycling program for clear PET bottles, and to increase public participation as the program gets ready for its third year. Korean companies produce roughly 200,000 tons of bottled water and beverage products using clear PET bottles annually, but only about 36,000 tons are recycled properly. Incheon collected 4,500 tons last year. In order to process clear PET bottles into high-quality recycled raw materials for food containers, long fibers, and containers/sheets, they must be emptied cleanly, labels (recycled as plastic/vinyl) must be removed, the bottles must be crushed, and the cap needs to be closed. Also, when putting them out to be collected, clear PET bottles need to be separated from other general plastics. With landfills in the metropolitan area set to become completely prohibited from 2026, Incheon is looking to reduce its use of disposable items. It is distributing food waste processing machines, has new stores as part of the “Incheon resource recycling program,” and is installing unmanned collecting machines for clear PET bottles to reduce waste by using and reusing resources for as long as possible. Last year, with an agreement with “Incheon Takju,” 660,000 (23 tons) colored Makgeolli bottles of the “Soseongju Plus” brand were replaced with clear plastic bottles. Incheon also employed similar initiatives in an attempt to reduce waste and stimulate recycling. The City now has “Incheon resource recycling stores” and unmanned clear

- Mayor gets first-hand experience to see just how congested the rush hour traffic into Seoul is (Geomdan New Town and Gyeyang Station) -- Incheon plans to expand and increase the number of intra-city and inter-city bus routes... Airport railroad could get additional trains and also an express train - Incheon Metropolitan City has begun preparing measures to reduce the congestion of public transportation transferring through Gyeyang Station. The City announced that Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited Geomdan New Town and Gyeyang Station in the early morning of April 20 to get a first-hand experience of the pressures put on the city’s bus and airport railroad system. The Mayor did his inspection to help assess the situation and devise countermeasures that could alleviate the stresses put upon commuters traveling on buses and the subway as they head into Seoul every morning. At the moment, Incheon has 19 intra-city buses across four routes running from Dangha-dong, Geomdan New Town to Gyeyang Station on the Airport Railroad line, but during the peak rush hour (6:00~7:00 am)*, an average of three to four buses are full and have no choice but to pass by some stops without even stopping. This means some passengers may end up waiting 20 to 30 minutes for a bus that has enough room for them to get on. Moreover, passengers who take the Airport Railroad from Gyeyang Station to Seoul face sub-optimal conditions during rush hour with overcrowded trains. * Time period when the demand for traffic reaches its maximum On his inspection, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok saw for himself how crowded the commuter buses and trains are at Geomdan New Town and Gyeyang Station. The chaos prompted the Mayor to put his administration to work on finding fast-acting solutions that could alleviate congestion for people using the public transportation network and make the commuting experience much less painful during rush hour with more local bus services and additional trains on the Airport Railroad line. Mayor

- Multimedia drone show coming in May... Drones will light up Songdo’s skyline after dusk on four different nights -- “Chefood Bus-chellin,” a new double-decker bus with dining options on the move coming in April~June... Songdo Marble Walk also opening soon - Korea’s first-ever “city of light” (designated city for “nighttime tourism”), Incheon is ready to offer a variety of new, fun-filled tourism programs available during the evening hours. Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) and the Incheon Tourism Organization (President: Baek Hyun) announced that the two organizations are hosting multiple different nighttime events, including a multimedia drone show and the “Chefood Bus-chellin” program, to offer tourists visiting Incheon a night to remember. Incheon Songdo International City, Open Port, and Wolmido, were chosen as the nation's first city districts specializing in nighttime tourism back in September of last year. Accordingly, Incheon has been busy developing and promoting new nighttime tourism programs, which the City expects to continue until 2025. Getting things under way will be a multimedia drone show in May. The multimedia drone show will light up the night sky near Songdo Central Park (four sessions: May 3, May 13, May 17, May 27) and feature fantastic programs led by 500 drones flying high in the sky, and also drones on water and performances on the water stage inside the Park for an unforgettable night out. On May 17, a concert will get under way with about 1,000 drones in connection with the 2023 Korea Drone Urban Air Transportation (UAM) Expo, and busking performances will be available across Songdo, Open Port, and Wolmido at the same time to offer tourists visiting Incheon in the spring season a truly special experience. For those looking for a more dynamic experience, Incheon is offering the Songdo Marble Walk. On May 27, tourists will get a special chance to walk along Songdo Central Park and immerse themselves in th

- Incheon continues to discuss ongoing cooperation and friendly relations between the two cities - Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok met with a delegation from China, including Qingdao Mayor Zhao Haozhi, on their visit to Incheon Metropolitan City Hall on April 10 in order to discuss possible ways to strengthen the friendly ties and cooperation between the two cities. Incheon and Qingdao have been active partners since September 1995, working together in various fields such as economy, trade, ports, logistics, culture, and human resources. In 2015, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Friendship City Agreement with Qingdao, Mayor Yoo visited Qingdao on his trip to stimulate tourism and economic cooperation between Incheon and some of China’s largest cities. Meanwhile, Qingdao is a leading industrial city in Shandong Province, China. It is home to traditional industries such as textiles, machinery, automobiles, chemicals, and beer, as well as emerging industries such as marine, bio, new energy, and eco-friendly industries. The city has the largest contingent of Koreans living in China, and is also a popular destination for Korean tourists traveling to China. Mayor Zhao Haozhi said, “I visited Incheon for the first time in three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am grateful for the warm welcome.” He added, “Given that Qingdao and Incheon are so close geographically, we hope to work together across a variety of different fields such as port logistics and the exchange of human resources.” In response, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “I hope that our city can further strengthen our friendly ties with Qingdao, and I am confident my meeting with Mayor Zhao Haozhi will serve as a foundation for new collaborative projects in the fields of economy, port, logistics, culture, and the exchange of human resources between the two cities going forward.”  

- Reopening on April 5 after extensive upgrades... Book your campsite via “Interpark” - - Features camping facilities (auto camping, caravans), amenities, parking spaces, etc., and offers access to the Ara Canal - Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor: Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that its “Noeuljin Campground,” the largest campground in the metropolitan area, will reopen on April 5. Noeuljin Campground is located in Seo-gu, Incheon (500, Jeongseojin-ro), and features a total of 118 campsites - 86 sites for auto camping and 32 caravans - across an area of 83,083㎡. It also has two utility buildings, a canteen, and parking spaces for campers. From January to March, the City Government closed the campground to upgrade its water system, add features for children, improve the landscaping, and install new turf for the footsal pitch in an effort to offer campers a more pleasant and safer camping experience. The campground now has a new playground for children and a waterfront promenade where campers can watch the sunset. Moreover, the campground offers great access to the Gyeongin Ara Canal, which gives visitors a great opportunity to enjoy a long walk, bike ride, or other outdoor activities along the waterfront. Each auto campsite costs KRW 25,000 on weekdays for non-residents and KRW 20,000 for Incheon residents. On weekends, each site costs KRW 30,000 and KRW 24,000 for non-residents and residents, respectively. Seo-gu residents, disabled persons, persons of national merit, and basic livelihood recipients can book their campsite at a 30% discount. Caravans are available for KRW 90,000~KRW 100,000 depending on the number of users (2~4 people) on weekdays, and KRW 125,000~KRW135,000 on weekends. To use the Noeuljin Campground, you need a reservation. Reservations open at 14:00 on the 15th of each month via Interpark (http://ticket.interpark.com). For more information on using the camping site, please contact the Noeuljin Campground office (☎1533-7847). Kim In-soo, Dire