Incheon to launch AI childcare coordinator chatbot

Incheon Metropolitan City will push ahead with a chatbot service to provide parenting information more easily to parents raising infants and toddlers at home. Called the “AI Incheon Childcare Coordinator,” the chatbot will integrate and provide information such as growth and development by age, available subsidies, and parent education programs and events by area.

Before launching the full service, the city plans to produce a prototype this month, then run a parent trial group and pilot service next month.

Incheon holds briefing on CRE infection reduction strategy

Incheon Metropolitan City has held a briefing on reducing CRE infections at City Hall on January 23. CRE or Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales infections are often healthcare-associated and caused by high-risk drug-resistant bacteria that do not respond to existing antibiotics. They have a high fatality rate and mainly spread through contact in general hospitals and long-term care hospitals, and can cause pneumonia and urinary tract infections. The briefing was held as part of the city’s I-CRE ZERO Project, which aims to respond proactively to the rising number of CRE infections. The project will also establish a systematic response strategy based on public-private cooperation, and help support individual medical institutions with limited resources.

Incheon to provide 100 billion won in special loan guarantees for small businesses

Incheon Metropolitan City will create a fund to alleviate financial difficulties of small business owners and help revive the local economy. Taking effect on the 28th, the “Phase-1 Hope Incheon Small Business Management Stability Fund” also aims to ease funding difficulties for small business owners facing heavy management burdens due to high interest rates and high prices. The fund will be implemented in three phases throughout the year to maximize policy effects. Starting with the first phase this month, the city plans to roll out the second and third phases in sequence, considering economic conditions and demand.

Incheon to step up fisheries policy for “livable fishing villages”

Incheon Metropolitan City will fully push ahead with key projects to improve living conditions in fishing villages and strengthen competitiveness in the fisheries industry. The projects will be focused in four major areas, and aim to raise living environments in underdeveloped fishing villages to urban standards. As part of this effort, the city will carry out the “Fishing Village Vitality Enhancement Project” at five locations, including Janggot Port, Jumun Port, and Seondu Port in Ganghwa-gun, Jido Port in Ongjin-gun, and Yedanpo Port in Jung-gu. The city also plans to focus on building safety infrastructure at fishing ports to protect the lives and property of fishermen.

Jung-gu to support exam fees for youth certification tests

Incheon’s Jung-gu will launch the “2026 Youth Certification Exam Fee Support Program” starting February 1. The program is part of the district’s livelihood stability policy, and aims to ease the burden on local youth preparing for employment by supporting exam fees for youths preparing to obtain certifications during their job search. Eligible applicants are unemployed youths aged 18 to 39 who are registered as residents of Jung-gu as of the application date. Support of up to a maximum of 100,000 won in exam fees will be provided once per person per year.

Woldee Scholarship Foundation to recruit 2026 Green Scholars

The Incheon Jung-gu Woldee Scholarship Foundation is recruiting recipients for the “2026 Green Scholar” program to foster local talent. The Green Scholar program aims to support students who are scheduled to enter university but face difficulties paying entrance or tuition fees. The scholarships will help students to focus on their studies in a stable environment and plan their future careers. This year, a total of 20 students will be selected, including five with recognized high-school-level qualifications, and each will receive up to three million won in scholarship funds.

Seo-gu provides mobile free medical care and TB screening for foreigners

Incheon’s Seo-gu has provided free visiting medical services and tuberculosis screening for migrant foreigners who may have difficulty accessing medical services. The Seo-gu Public Health Center worked with the Incheon Medical Volunteer Association and the Incheon Branch of the Korea Tuberculosis Association, providing TB screening and free medical care to 141 migrant foreigners on January 18 at La Vang Catholic Church. Through this service, professional medical treatment was provided in seven departments, including internal medicine, family medicine, orthopedics, ophthalmology, dermatology, pediatrics and adolescent medicine, and neurosurgery.

Seo-gu Library runs “Story Time with Librarians”

The Seo-gu Library under the Incheon Metropolitan City Office of Education is running a video picture-book series called “Story Time with Librarians,” to help infants and toddlers become familiar with books. In the program, librarians at the Seo-gu Library personally select picture books and produce narrated videos, which are then posted on the library’s website and YouTube channel. The program is designed to let children naturally experience the joy of reading through lively narration. The children’s book, “The Day the Fox Comes,” has been selected for the first quarter, and the video can be viewed freely on the official YouTube channel of Incheon’s public libraries as well as the Seo-gu Library website.

Sources: https://news.ifm.kr