Incheon City Officially Proposes Administrative System Reorganization to Government for First Half of This Year... Establishment of Geomdan, Yeongjong, and Jemulpo Districts

Incheon City announced on the 30th that it plans to officially propose an administrative system reorganization to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety during the first half of this year.

Since Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok announced a tentative administrative system reorganization plan last August, which centers on the establishment of Geomdan-gu, Yeongjong-gu, and Jemulpo-gu, the city has created a dedicated organization to promote this plan.

The reorganization plan includes separating Jung-gu and Dong-gu into Yeongjong-gu, centered on Yeongjong Island, and Jemulpo-gu, focused on the inland area, and adjusting Seo-gu by separating the Geomdan area into Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu.

Jung-gu’s living areas are completely separated between the Yeongjong region and the inland region, and inefficiencies have increased due to the dualization of administration, such as the opening of Jung-gu’s second government office on Yeongjong Island. Dong-gu, a city centered on ports and their hinterlands, has unclear boundaries with the inland area of Jung-gu, which has many ports including Incheon Port, and their living areas are quite similar.

The city plans to merge the inland areas of Jung-gu and Dong-gu into one autonomous district called Jemulpo-gu and divide the Yeongjong area into Yeongjong-gu, minimizing residents’ inconvenience through adjustments based on living areas.

In the case of Seo-gu, subdivision is inevitable due to population growth, and the city plans to adjust the southern part of Seo-gu as Seo-gu and the northern part as Geomdan-gu.

Currently, Seo-gu’s population is about 570,000, but with ongoing new town developments in Cheongna, Luwon, and Geomdan areas, the population is expected to increase to over 700,000 in the future. The Geomdan area alone is expected to see an increase of more than 100,000 people.

Incheon Administrative District Reorganization Plan [Provided by Incheon City]

If the administrative district reorganization is realized, Incheon will shift from the current system of 2 counties and 8 districts, established in 1995, to a system of 2 counties and 9 districts.

The city recently prepared a basic plan and decided to apply boundary determination principles where Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu will use the sea as the boundary, and Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu will use the Ara Waterway as the boundary. The names of the autonomous districts will be finalized through public opinion surveys.

Regarding government offices, Jemulpo-gu and Seo-gu will utilize existing offices, Yeongjong-gu will use Jung-gu’s second government office, and Geomdan-gu will use the Geomdan branch office, with plans to lease private buildings to cover any shortage of space. The construction of new government offices will be reviewed after legal enactment and resident consultations.

The city aims to launch the 9th popularly elected administration in 2026 based on this new administrative system.

The administrative system reorganization is a matter to be legislated after gathering opinions from local councils under the Local Autonomy Act. The city plans to officially propose it to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety during the first half of the year after a public discussion process and collecting opinions from residents and local councils.

Following the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s review, the city will proceed with the reorganization process aiming for the submission of the bill to the National Assembly and its enactment during the 21st National Assembly session.