Incheon to promote “Living City Incheon” in era of population decline

The Incheon Institute has released results of its 2025 planning research on making Incheon a more competitive city for the living population amid population decline. The study noted that Incheon’s population is expected to peak around 2035 and then decline, and structural changes such as low birth rates and aging are expected to affect urban space. Therefore, it raised concerns about weakened urban vitality and competitiveness. “Living population” refers to people who stay in an area and carry out daily activities, in addition to those officially registered as residents. It has the advantage of capturing dynamic population movements that are hard to identify using resident registration data alone. This study marks the first attempt in Incheon to conduct spatial analysis using living population data, and the results are expected to be useful for developing various policies to boost urban vitality.

Incheon Youth Future Center to support young caregivers & socially withdrawn youth

The Incheon Youth Future Center, under the Incheon Metropolitan City Public Agency for Social Service, said it will support recovery in daily life for young people through various specialized programs this year. The programs target youth who care for family members and for socially isolated or withdrawn youth. Last year, the center ran 45 programs for 259 young caregivers, including case management, emotional and psychological support, and future preparation education. Participants will be recruited next month, with the first group meeting scheduled for March, and meetings planned at least once a month.

Art Center Incheon to recruit young talent for Gifted Music Academy

The Incheon Free Economic Zone will hold an open audition on February 14 to select students for the second class of the “Gifted Music Academy.” The program is a flagship education program of the center, which seeks to serve as a performing-arts-based education platform. It seeks to identify promising young music talents from Incheon and across the country at an early stage and provide systematic professional training. Auditions for piano, violin, cello, flute, and clarinet are available, with ages ranging from second-grade elementary students to third-year middle school students.

Incheon Central Library runs program to help citizens access books at cafes 

Incheon Jungang Library, under the Incheon Metropolitan City Education Office, is running a program called “Library Goes Out: One Book, One Break,” in partnership with nearby cafes. The program aims to help citizens easily access books in their daily lives by using cafe spaces to improve access to reading, allowing people to naturally enjoy books. Users can freely read books placed in cafes without any special procedures. The displayed books are selected to reflect each cafe’s characteristics and librarian recommendations.

Incheon Transit Corporation to operate 1,082 senior jobs on urban rail lines

The Incheon Transit Corporation plans to operate senior employment programs for a total of 1,082 people this year on Incheon Subway Lines 1 and 2. The senior employees will work at a total of 60 stations – 33 on Line 1 and 27 on Line 2. They will serve as subway safety guides, elevator safety assistants, and work on tasks such as collecting and managing pharmaceutical waste. Last year, the corporation ran senior job programs for 1,002 people at 57 stations on Lines 1 and 2.

Incheon to provide subsidies for 486 hydrogen vehicles this year

Incheon Metropolitan City will promote a hydrogen vehicle public supply program this year, providing subsidies for a total of 486 hydrogen electric vehicles. By type, this includes 203 hydrogen buses, 280 hydrogen passenger cars, and three hydrogen trucks. Compared to last year, the number of hydrogen buses will increase significantly, giving citizens more chances to use eco-friendly transportation in daily life.

Incheon to expand interview outfit support for young job seekers

Incheon Metropolitan City will expand the “Dream Narae,” or Interview Outfit Support Program for Youth, to reduce job search costs and provide practical support for employment preparation. The program allows free rental of interview outfits such as suits, shirts or blouses, dress shoes, and ties. It was launched to ease the financial burden young people face due to longer job searches and more interview stages. Last year, about 5,000 free suit rentals were provided amid strong interest from youths. Reflecting this demand, the city has expanded support to about 6,000 cases this year.