Incheon Third Sea-Crossing Bridge Officially Named “Cheongna Sky Bridge”

The official name of Incheon’s Third Sea-Crossing Bridge has been finalized as “Cheongna Sky Bridge.” According to Incheon Metropolitan City’s Jung-gu, the National Geographic Information Institute under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport rejected Jung-gu’s request for reconsideration and confirmed the name previously decided by the city. Incheon Metropolitan City had approved the name last November for the bridge linking Yeongjong island in Jung-gu and Cheongna in Seo-gu. As a result, the bridge received its official name just nine days after opening.

Incheon Students Head to the Arctic for Nation’s Only Polar Exploration Program

The Incheon Student Polar Academy, which sends high school students to the Arctic for scientific exploration, is diversifying its programs in its fourth year. The Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education says the academy will run a ten-day program this August in Svalbard, Norway. Activities will mostly take place on Longyearbyen, the northernmost settlement accessible to the public and home to the Dasan Arctic Research Station. The program is the first and currently the only Arctic exploration program in the nation operated by a provincial education office.

“2025 Neighborhood Bookstore Talks and Festival” Ends Successfully

The Incheon Foundation for Arts & Culture’s Museum of Modern Korean Literature says the “2025 Shinbaram Neighborhood Bookstore Book Talks and Festival” has concluded successfully. The festival was held for about eight months, from March 29 to November 2, at 29 neighborhood bookstores across Incheon. Around 60 book talk sessions took place, drawing attention to community-based reading culture models involving citizens, bookstores, and authors. A total of 901 citizens participated, and overall satisfaction scored 98.66 points, showing strong public response and engagement.

Living Testimonies of War Veterans Preserved as Records of Peace

The Incheon Research Institute has recently completed the production of oral history videos of veterans of the Incheon Landing Operation, following an interim report in September of last year. The project is the first of its kind, launched by the Incheon Metropolitan City, to systematically preserve vivid testimonies from veterans and their families on video. Through these recordings, citizens and students are expected to directly hear the voices of veterans and reflect on the value of peace.

City Urges Drivers to Apply for Vehicle Tax Prepayment Program

Incheon Metropolitan City is accepting applications for its vehicle tax prepayment program, which offers tax reductions for paying the whole annual amount in advance. Applications will be accepted until February 2nd. Vehicle tax is normally billed twice a year, in June and December, but drivers can receive a discount by paying the full year’s amount in January. Those who pay in January receive a five-percent discount on the portion covering February through December, effectively reducing the total annual tax by about 4.6 percent.

Fisheries Inspection Center Launched to Strengthen Food Safety Management

The Incheon Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment says it has begun operating a dedicated fisheries inspection center to strengthen constant monitoring of seafood safety. The new center was established to ease public concerns over radioactive contamination of seafood and to create a safer food environment. Since the 2023 decision to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, Incheon has continuously expanded seafood inspection functions at the institute.

Incheon Companies See Bleak Outlook for 2026

Business outlooks among companies in Incheon are showing signs of pessimism for the new year. The Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry says a survey of 208 local companies found that 50.5 percent expect business conditions to worsen compared with last year. Many companies said they expect sales to either remain flat or decline this year.

SOC Urgent in New Incheon Districts as Population Rises

Incheon Metropolitan City’s newest administrative districts, Yeongjong-gu and Geomdan-gu, are expected to continue growing in population. As both districts are set to launch in July, expansion of daily-life social infrastructure, or SOC, is urgent. According to an Incheon Research Institute report on SOC supply measures, populations in the Yeongjong and Geomdan areas have increased by 536 percent and 385 percent respectively over the past 21 years, and are forecast to reach 160,000 and 280,000 by 2030. The report says expanded childcare and youth facilities will be essential in the new districts.

Sources: https://news.ifm.kr