Incheon hosts SURF 2025 INCHEON, the city’s leading startup festival 

Incheon Metropolitan City announced that “SURF 2025 INCHEON,” the city’s signature startup festival, will take place on September 23 and 24 at Songdo Convensia Halls 3 and 4.

Now in its third year, the event is co-hosted by the city and the Incheon Regional Office of SMEs and Startups, and organized by the Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation together with the Incheon Business Incubation Centers Councils. 

This year, about 186 companies, including startups, investors, support organizations, as well as major firms such as KT and Korean Air, will participate with 215 exhibition booths.

Incheon opens special exhibition “19+16ing,” showcasing art across North and South 

Incheon Metropolitan City announced that it has opened a special exhibition titled “19+16ing” today at the Songdo Global Campus Multi-Complex Exhibition Hall, running through September 18.

The show is part of a unification awareness program led by the Incheon Unification Plus Center, featuring works by North Korean defector artist Koi and South Korean artist Shin Hyung-mi.

The title “19+16ing” reflects the 19 years Koi spent in North Korea and the 16 years living in the South. Since arriving in 2009, Koi has captured the complex emotions of life as an outsider through works. 

Incheon strengthens meat supply and hygiene management ahead of Chuseok 

The Incheon Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment announced that it will ensure a safe and steady supply of meat products ahead of the Chuseok holiday by opening slaughterhouses earlier and operating even on public holidays.

From today through September 27, slaughterhouses will open at 7 a.m.—earlier than usual—and operate during holidays depending on demand, in anticipation of increased meat consumption during the holiday. 

On-site inspectors from the institute will oversee daily hygiene checks before and during operations, while managing potential contamination risks to ensure sanitary processing.

Incheon education office forms task force to support island schools 

The Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education has launched a task force to support schools in island regions such as Ganghwa-gun and Ongjin-gun, where student numbers are declining and infrastructure remains limited. 

The office has been working to strengthen educational capacity and improve working conditions for teachers to attract more qualified staff. 

Based on feedback collected, the office will complete a field survey and release a report by December, with full-scale support for island schools beginning next year. 

Incheon Youth Center records 97.4 percent satisfaction rate 

The Incheon Youth Center, known as YouYu Giji, has quickly become a hub for young people since opening in March. 

Located on the ninth floor of Jemulpo Smart Town, the center offers diverse spaces freely available to all local youth. 

In a survey of 119 users, 97.4 percent responded they were satisfied, highlighting the center’s growing role as a community space for young people. 

Michuhol-gu holds youth welfare committee meeting 

Michuhol-gu announced that it convened the second-half Youth Welfare Review Committee on September 4 to discuss ways to better support at-risk youth and strengthen rapid response systems. 

The meeting gathered heads of 15 key partner institutions, who pledged to work together for youth protection and welfare. 

Discussions included expanding special aid for vulnerable youth, as well as building an inter-agency system for swift information sharing and emergency intervention in cases of runaway, abuse, domestic violence, or suicide risk.

Sources: https://news.ifm.kr