[Metro24] Incheon Mayor Proposes 'Administrative District Reorganization'

Incheon Administrative District Reorganization Plan [Provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] No city has brought about as much change as Incheon. Since its elevation to a metropolitan city in 1995, Incheon has incorporated Gyeonggi Ganghwa County, Ongjin County, and Geomdan-myeon, and in the 2000s developed economic free zones such as Songdo, Yeongjong, and Cheongna, resulting in a significant increase in population and area. Compared to Daegu, which was elevated to a directly governed city in 1981, Incheon once lagged behind in population, area, and various economic indicators such as Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), but it has now rapidly grown into the nation's third-largest city following Seoul and Busan.

However, despite Incheon’s population increasing from 2.35 million in 1995 to 2.96 million currently, and the average population per basic local government reaching 296,000?the highest among metropolitan cities nationwide?the administrative districts remain unchanged with the 2 counties and 8 districts system established in 1995. As a result, administrative capacity falls short in districts where population and area have expanded, making it difficult to respond to diverse resident demands. Even within the same jurisdictional district, if living areas differ, administrative dualization inevitably leads to inefficiency.

Recently, despite criticism from the Democratic Party that there was no prior consultation, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok’s announced administrative district reorganization plan for Incheon (2 counties and 9 districts system) is gaining momentum because a regional consensus has formed on the urgent need to reform this unreasonable administrative system.

The reorganization plan proposes merging Jung-gu (140,000 people), which is completely separated in living area between Yeongjong Island and the inland region, with Dong-gu (60,000 people) to create Yeongjong-gu (100,000 people) centered on Yeongjong Island, and separating the inland areas of Jung-gu and Dong-gu into Jemulpo-gu (100,000 people). Additionally, Seo-gu, with a population of 570,000, will be divided by separating the Geomdan area to establish a new Geomdan-gu (190,000 people), while maintaining the remaining Seo-gu (380,000 people). This plan considers the continuous population influx centered on new towns such as Cheongna International City, Luwon City, and Geomdan New Town, making district division inevitable.

Residents and local government heads in the affected areas generally welcome the reorganization. In particular, residents of Jung-gu and Dong-gu, representative old downtown areas of Incheon, have high expectations for Jemulpo-gu, which will be the center of Mayor Yoo’s first pledge, the 'Jemulpo Renaissance.'

The problem is that there are many hurdles to overcome before the administrative district reorganization can be realized. It must go through various administrative procedures including gathering opinions from local residents and councils, review by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, drafting of legal bills, review by the Legislation Office, submission to the Cabinet meeting, and approval by the National Assembly. There are concerns that political interests involving members of the National Assembly and local councilors during the separation and boundary adjustment process between autonomous districts could cause conflicts within the region.

When announcing the administrative district reorganization plan, Mayor Yoo expressed a strong determination, saying, "Incheon will take the lead in reforming South Korea’s local administrative system." This seems to reflect his awareness that the promotion process will not be easy. We look forward to whether the 2026 local elections can be held under the reorganized administrative district system as Mayor Yoo aims.