Vision/Mission
Dream of Incheon, the Vision of Korea
Background
Incheon was first known as Michuhol.
Incheon emerged as an administrative district known as Marsoholhyeon during the reign of King Jangsu of Goguryeo (475 AD). After Shilla united the three kingdoms, the district was renamed as Soseonghyeon using Chinese characters during the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Shilla.
During the reign of King Sukjong of Goryeo (1095-1105 AD), the district was renamed and elevated as Gyeongwongun because it was the birthplace of the King’s mother. Later on, during the reign of King Injong of Goryeo (1122-1146 AD), the district was elevated once more into Inju since it was the birthplace of Queen Sundeok. Inju was almost razed to the ground after an unsuccessful rebellion by Lee Ja-kyum. However, it was returned to Gyeongwonbu during the second year of King Gongyang of Goryeo (1390 AD).
The district was restored because it was the so-called Childae Eohyang (the birthplace of seven generations of kings), a region intimately related to seven generations of kings, from King Munjong to King Injong of Goryeo.
Once the Joseon Dynasty was established, Gyeongwonbu was reorganized as Inju once again. However, during the 13th year of King Taejong of Joseon, the royal court ordered every gun and hyeon (two county-level districts) below the dohobu administrative level with the word ju in their names to incorporate either the word san (mountain) or cheon (river). Hence, Inju became Incheon, which remains the name for the district to this day.
Incheon has chosen the very day the district was renamed as Incheon (October 15, 1413) as Incheon Citizens Day.
Location
Incheon is located at approximately 126°37’E, 37°28’N. This puts the city at the heart of the Korean peninsula. Incheon faces the Yellow Sea and sits at the mouth of Hangang River. Just 28km away from Seoul, the capital city of Korea, Incheon has the same latitude as San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Madrid.
Climate
Located at the midpoint of the Korean peninsula, Incheon has both continental and oceanic climates due to its being near the West Sea. The coldest day in Incheon was recorded at -21ºC (-5.8ªF), and the hottest day on record was 38.9ºC (102.02ºF). The average temperature is 12.1ºC (53.78ºF).
Population & Area
As of July 2016, the population of Incheon is 2,994,860, which makes it the third most populous city in Korea. There are 57,643 foreign nationals living in Incheon. The total area of Incheon is 1,051.4km² and it is constantly increasing. It includes 168 islands.
Incheon is divided into 8 districts (gu) and 2 counties (gun) – Jung-gu, Dong-gu, Nam-gu, Namdong-gu, Yeonsu-gu, Bupyeong-gu, Gyeyang-gu, Seo-gu; Ganghwa-gun, Ongjin-gun.
Organization Goals
A New Incheon, Happy Citizens
Administrative Policies
1. Offering an affluent lifestyle to Incheon’s citizens.
- Creating an Incheon where the economy is revived (focusing on the development of eight strategic industries).
- Providing warm-hearted welfare enjoyed by all.
- Establishing a green city that coexists with nature.
2. Becoming a dynamic global city.
- Implementing projects to create human-oriented transportation.
- Turning the city into a hub for international logistics.
- Promoting provisional districts with lower regulations in the Incheon Free Economic Zone.
- Creating a hub for the green economy linked with the GCF (Green Climate Fund).
- Enhancing the city’s foundation for international cooperation.
3. Creating Incheon’s own unique value.
- Creating sustainable growth engines for the old city center.
- Establishing the city as a mecca for tourism.
- Enlarging cultural venues for Incheon’s citizens.
4. Fulfilling the goal of a citizens-oriented administration.
- Creating a first-class city which is safe 365 days a year.
- Implementing administrative policies based on communication.
- Taking a leap forwards as a global education city.
Highlights
An international city in northeast Asia open towards the world
The expansion of Incheon Harbor and opening of Incheon Subway (October 1999), opening of the Incheon International Airport (March 2001), landfill of public waters, construction of various industrial and logistics complexes, construction of tourism and leisure complexes and new residential areas, upgrade of highways, expansion of education and cultural facilities, development of Songdo New Town and opening of the Free Economic Zone (October 2003), construction of Incheon Bridge (October 2009), development of Cheongna and Yeongjong districts and urban restoration projects, and the successful execution of the 2014 Asian Games and 2015 Presidents Cup shows that Incheon continues to develop and grow.
Other Notes
Incheon, the world’s safest city
Incheon was selected as the world’s safest city by Numbeo, the worlds largest comparison and statistics website for cities and countries, in its Global Crime and Safety Survey in 2016. Among the 118 countries and 342 cities surveyed, Incheon received a score of 90.89 in the safety index and 9.11 in the crime index to become the world’s safest city. The index for each item is between zero and 100. A higher safety index and lower crime index mean that the city has better public order. In the evaluation of “Is it safe to travel alone by day and by night,” the city’s safety index was 90.38 by day and 84.62 by night, both very high. Other safe cities were Kyoto (Japan), Seoul (Korea), Eskisehir (Turkey) and Munich (Germany).
