Incheon Metropolitan City and Incheon Tourism Organization announced that they have selected 15 promising companies that will lead the tourism industry through the “2026 Incheon Tourism Startup Contest.”The contest targeted tourism-related startups established within the past seven years as well as prospective entrepreneurs, with the recruitment conducted across six categories: ▲ Preliminary (prospective entrepreneurs), ▲ Early Stage (within three years of establishment), ▲ Growth Stage (within three ~ seven years of establishment), ▲ Regional Coexistence (tourism venture companies certified by the Korea Tourism Organization or startups certified by tourism business support centers in other regions), ▲ Growth Plus+ I (companies seeking advanced-stage support after completing the Incheon Tourism Business Support Center’s startup-fostering program), and ▲ Growth Plus+ II (graduates of the Growth Plus+ program from 2024 to 2025).A total of 125 companies applied, recording a competition ratio of 8.3 to 1. Following document screening and presentation evaluations, 15 companies demonstrating innovation potential and strong execution capabilities in the tourism sector were ultimately selected.Early Stage selectees were SconAI (AI interpretation services), San Bong Woori (island tours for young adults), Glory (eco-friendly MICE packages), and Neulsol (Ganghwa tourism merchandise).The Growth Stage Startup category includes Gaehangro Injeolmi and Sochang Gallery (Sochang-themed souvenirs), and Baba Ground (specialized rural tourism packages).FOCC (history and fragrance tours) was selected in the Regional Coexistence category together with Growth Plus+ I welcoming Contemplative (local beverage brand), Geumpung Brewery (wellness sleep-healing tours), Minikhan Camping Mobility (island car camping tours), and In the Local (tourism souvenir select shop). Finally, AD Labs (tourist marketing solutions) was selected for Growth Plus+ II. These startups are expected t

- Customized information provided in six languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Myanmar, and Uzbek -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it has distributed local tax guide leaflets produced in six languages to improve convenience for foreign residents paying local taxes.As of March 2026, 95,898 foreign residents were registered in Incheon. The largest groups by nationality are Chinese (14.3%), Vietnamese (10.6%), Myanmar nationals (5.5%), Uzbeks (4.3%), and Mongolians (3.4%). As tax delinquencies among foreign residents are spread across a wide range of nationalities, the need for customized guidance to overcome language barriers has continued to be raised.The newly produced guide leaflets are available in six languages—Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Myanmar, and Uzbek—and include explanations of major local taxes such as resident tax and automobile tax, as well as payment methods. The leaflets also explain potential disadvantages resulting from tax delinquency, including restrictions on visa extensions, seizure of property and claims, and impoundment of vehicle license plates, in order to help foreign taxpayers better understand their obligations.To improve foreign residents’ understanding of local taxes, Incheon plans to place the leaflets at frequently visited institutions such as Multicultural Family Support Centers and Foreign Resident Support Centers. The city also plans to actively promote local tax payment methods by directly visiting related organizations.Incheon has also implemented the “Local Tax Delinquency Verification System Prior to Visa Extension,” which restricts visa extensions for delinquent foreign taxpayers. The city is pursuing delinquencies with the same level of enforcement applied to Korean nationals, including the garnishment of foreign worker insurance benefits (such as departure maturity payments and return travel funds) and dormant insurance funds.“We produced these multilingual guide leaflets to prevent cases i

- Project to improve park accessibility and convenience by reconnecting the interrupted green corridor; completion targeted for May next year -The Incheon Grand Park Office of Incheon Metropolitan City announced that construction on a pedestrian greenway* connecting Zones 2 and 3 of Central Park will begin on May 13 as part of the Central Park revitalization project.* Pedestrian Greenway: A pedestrian greenway refers to a landscaped pedestrian walkway where vehicle access is prohibited.Established in 2005, Central Park is the only belt-shaped park in Incheon, stretching 3.9 kilometers in length and 100 meters in width from Gwangyo-dong in Michuhol-gu to Ganseok-dong in Namdong-gu. The park has long served as a major urban green corridor and one of the city’s representative recreational spaces.However, because Central Park is divided into nine separate zones, park users have experienced inconvenience when moving between sections, as they were required to use pedestrian crosswalks. To address this issue, Incheon installed two pedestrian greenways, Gaongyo Bridge and Wolungyo Bridge, in 2020, receiving positive evaluations in user satisfaction surveys.In particular, citizens noted improvements in internal circulation routes and pedestrian safety within the park, leading the city government to pursue an additional project connecting Zones 2 and 3 of Central Park.The new pedestrian greenway will connect Zones 2 and 3 of Central Park through a steel pipe girder bridge measuring 3.5 meters in width, with a main bridge span of 38 meters and a total length of 111 meters. The project will be carried out with a total budget of KRW 4.3 billion.The project is designed to naturally reconnect the park’s green corridor, allowing citizens to move more freely throughout the park while ensuring safe and convenient access for all users, including transportation-vulnerable groups. Beyond its functional role as a connection route, the greenway will also feature a design that harmoniz

- Focus on preventing violations in advance through information sharing and joint inspections in the environmental sector -Incheon Metropolitan City signed an MOU with the Korea Environment Corporation’s Seoul Western Regional Headquarters on May 8 at the corporation’s conference room in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, to create a cleaner urban environment and jointly respond to environmental risk factors.The agreement was signed to strengthen the management of businesses with potential environmental pollution risks and establish a cooperative framework between the two organizations for preventing environmental violations and developing effective response measures.Under the agreement, the two organizations will cooperate in various areas, including sharing analytical information on waste treatment, conducting joint inspections of businesses suspected of causing air pollution, sharing response measures for businesses subject to frequent complaints, and transferring techniques related to integrated environmental monitoring systems.“This agreement is meaningful in that it establishes a foundation for strengthening the environmental pollution management system,” said Choi Jong-mun, Head of the Incheon Special Judicial Police Division. “We will continue working closely with the Korea Environment Corporation to create a safer and cleaner Incheon that citizens can truly experience.” 

- Public-private partnership applies brokerage fees of 2% or lower to ease the financial burden on small business owners -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it signed a public-private partnership agreement on May 6 with Mukkebi, Shinhan Bank and Kona I to launch a public delivery app service aimed at easing the burden on small business owners struggling with high commission fees charged by private delivery platforms and revitalizing the local economy.The public delivery app service is designed to improve the profit structure of small business owners affected by private delivery platform brokerage fees of up to 7.8%. By linking the service with the Incheon eum local currency payment system (Incheon Love Gift Certificate), the city also aims to promote local consumption and establish a sustainable delivery ecosystem that benefits both small business owners and citizens.Under the agreement, small business owners using public delivery apps such as “Mukkebi,” “Ddangyo,” and “Baedal e-Um” will be subject to brokerage fees of 2% or lower, which is expected to significantly reduce their operating costs. Incheon plans to establish a virtuous cycle of local consumption by integrating payment services with the Incheon eum local currency system (Incheon Love Gift Certificate).“This project is a win-win policy that reduces burdens on small business owners while enhancing convenience for citizens,” said Kim Sang-gil, Director of the Incheon Economic and Industrial Bureau. “We will closely manage the overall operation of the service so that it can become a sustainable platform that both small business owners and citizens can genuinely benefit from.”

- 126-space parking facility near Sinpo-dong and Chinatown improves convenience for residents and tourists -Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it officially began operating the Open Port Public Parking Lot in May to address chronic parking shortages in the Sinpo-dong and Chinatown areas of Jung-gu.Located at 2-1 Hang-dong 4-ga in Jung-gu, the Open Port Public Parking Lot was developed in an area with high parking demand due to its proximity to Sinpo-dong’s key commercial district and Chinatown, one of Incheon’s leading tourist destinations.The city expects the new parking facility to improve convenience for visitors to the Open Port area while helping resolve longstanding issues related to illegal parking and traffic safety risks.The parking facility was constructed with a total project cost of approximately KRW 5.6 billion funded by national and municipal budgets. Built as a two-story, three-level above-ground structure, it occupies a site area of 2,174.1 square meters with a total floor area of 2,937.91 square meters and provides a total of 126 parking spaces.To enhance convenience for users, the parking lot will be operated free of charge until June 30, 2026, after which it will transition to paid operation beginning July 1, 2026. Under the paid system, parking fees will follow Incheon’s public parking fee structure: KRW 600 for the first 30 minutes, KRW 300 for each additional 15 minutes, and KRW 6,000 for all-day parking.In addition to the Open Port Public Parking Lot project, Incheon is pursuing various measures to address parking shortages experienced by citizens, including the expansion of public parking facilities through fiscal investment, the development of parking facilities within school complex projects, the activation of parking-sharing platforms, and the establishment of smart parking systems.“With the establishment of the public parking lot in the Open Port and Chinatown areas, we expect citizens and tourists to be able to use the old

- Reflecting demand for transport to Yeouido by improving commuting conditions between Songdo and Seoul -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced the adjustment to the operating schedule of the M6751 metropolitan express bus route, which runs between the main gate of e-Pyeonhansesang Songdo in Incheon and Gongdeok Station Exit 6 in Seoul. The new schedule will be effective starting May 4 to keep up with passenger demand.The M6751 route was first introduced in August 2022 to reduce commuting time to central Seoul and improve transportation convenience for Songdo residents. Following the implementation of the semi-public operation system for metropolitan buses in October 2024, Incheon and the transportation operator overcame various challenges, such as vehicle procurement and driver recruitment, and secured all eight licensed buses by November 2025 to achieve stable operations. This route provides direct, transfer-less service connecting e-Pyeonhansesang Main Gate, Central Park Station (Booyoung Songdo Tower), Yeouido, and Gongdeok Station.While increased vehicle deployment in November 2025 reduced headways and improved convenience, there has been continued demand for schedule adjustments reflecting route-specific usage patterns. Based on six months of monitoring, the city plans to move the first inbound (Incheon to Seoul) departure earlier by approximately 10 minutes to better accommodate morning commuting demand to areas such as Yeouido. The outbound (Seoul to Incheon) schedule will also be adjusted to better reflect user demand.In particular, Seoul-based workers commuting to Songdo, including those at the Overseas Koreans Agency, previously had difficulty arriving at work on time, as the first outbound bus to Songdo arrived around 9 AM. With the adjusted schedule, earlier departures are expected to significantly improve commuting conditions.Incheon also plans to further enhance transportation convenience by increasing the number of buses on another

- Customized consults provided on-site with participation of administration, labor, and visa experts -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that it successfully held a comprehensive briefing on the foreign employment system to support a stable supply of workforce for manufacturing companies amid changes in foreign labor policies.The briefing was held at the Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with about 100 representatives from local manufacturing companies in attendance. While reliance on foreign workers in industrial settings has been increasing, companies have struggled to maintain their workforce due to complex administrative procedures and a limited understanding of relevant systems. The event was organized to address these challenges.According to 2025 statistics, the number of foreign workers steadily increased from 273,139 in the first quarter to 282,839 in the fourth quarter. In contrast, the number of workplaces employing foreign workers in Incheon decreased from 3,160 to 3,132 during the same period. This indicates that companies are encountering practical limitations in specialized areas such as employment permit applications, visa changes, and labor management.Reflecting the on-site demand, Incheon invited experts across four key fields and conducted practice-oriented, customized training. The program included: Practical Administration, procedures related to foreign employment (Kim Soo-hyeon, Administrative Attorney, K-Job Edu Administrative Office); Labor Management, employment contracts and legal considerations (Lee Hong-seok, Certified Labor Attorney, Ho HR Labor Law Firm); Visa Policy: securing skilled workers and employment linkage, including F-2 visa conversion (Kim Ji-yeon, Director, Refugee Policy Division, Ministry of Justice); and Policy Guidance: introduction to Incheon’s support programs for foreign workers and hiring companies (Kim Yoon-hee, Manager, Poory Industry Foreign Worker Center). Participating companies p

- Two additional buses added from April 24, increasing units from 3 to 5 to reduce headways during commuting hours -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) announced that two buses will be added to the M6464 metropolitan express bus route, which operates from “Hillstate Lake Songdo 2-cha” in Songdo, Incheon, to Gangnam Station in Seoul, to reduce service intervals, starting April 24.The route began operations on February 28 to address transportation inconveniences for residents in Songdo District 6 and parts of District 3, where the population has recently increased due to the move-in of large-scale apartment complexes, enabling direct travel to Gangnam without transfers.At the time of launch, there was a possibility of schedule adjustments due to delays in vehicle procurement and driver hiring. However, Incheon secured the necessary vehicles and personnel through coordination with the transport operator and commenced service with three buses, including one chartered bus, to improve transportation convenience for Songdo residents.With this expansion, the number of buses on the M6464 route will increase from three to five on weekdays (including one chartered bus), significantly improving user convenience by reducing headways during peak commuting hours by approximately half.Since the implementation of the semi-public operation system for metropolitan buses, overall service reliability has improved. Incheon plans to continue expanding the number of units for metropolitan express buses (M Bus) and direct seat buses through close cooperation with transport operators.Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok stated, “Expanding the metropolitan transportation network connecting key hubs in the capital region is a critical task for ensuring citizens’ mobility rights and enhancing urban competitiveness. We will continue to improve the citizens’ quality of life by establishing a balanced transportation infrastructure.” 

- Policy synergy among affiliates of the Ministry of Environment emphasized, “Enhancing national environmental policy efficiency must come first” -Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok) has launched a full-scale administrative and political effort to secure justification for retaining key institutions in the region, in response to the government’s discussions on the “second-phase relocation of public institutions.” The city emphasized that this response goes beyond simple inter-regional competition and represents a strategic choice aimed at maximizing the overall efficiency of national policies.On April 23, Incheon announced that its “Task Force for Responding to Public Institution Relocation and Integration” visited the labor union of the Korea Environment Corporation as part of a series of on-site communication initiatives. The visit was organized to proactively respond to relocation discussions at the National Assembly and central government level, while also directly hearing on-the-ground perspectives to refine policy arguments.Incheon identified “policy-wise synergy” as the primary rationale for retaining the Korea Environment Corporation. Currently, major affiliates of the Ministry of Environment—including the National Institute of Environmental Research and the National Institute of Biological Resources—are concentrated in the city, forming a tightly-knit “environmental cluster.”During the meeting, Shin Jae-kyung, Vice Mayor for Global City and Political Affairs, explained the historical background, stating, “Incheon’s comprehensive environmental research complex was established based on the understanding and cooperation of citizens who endured environmental damage from the capital area landfill.” He added, “Forced relocation that disrupts this functional concentration of institutions could significantly undermine the continuity and efficiency of national environmental policy.”The city also identified potential org