Incheon City has prepared special support measures for the residents of the Seohae 5 Islands, located at the forefront of 'territorial defense.' This is to improve the unstable living conditions on the Seohae 5 Islands due to the recent escalation of military tensions between the South and North.
The city announced on the 31st that it will invest a total of 512.7 billion KRW over four years until 2027 to promote 81 projects in five areas: ▲improving living conditions ▲expanding resident experience ▲enhancing safety and convenience ▲building infrastructure ▲and institutional improvements.
First, to improve living conditions, 110.8 billion KRW will be invested in supporting the introduction of passenger ships departing in the morning to Yeonpyeongdo, providing living support funds, and renovating old houses. For projects expanding resident experience, 27.9 billion KRW will be invested in fostering the 'K Tourism Island' that people want to visit, constructing the Baengnyeong and Daecheong National Geopark Centers, and creating the Yeonpyeong Peace Island.
Among these, the living support fund aims to provide residents with 200,000 KRW per month regardless of their length of residence. Starting this year, residents who have lived on the Seohae 5 Islands for more than 10 years will receive 160,000 KRW per month, an increase of 10,000 KRW from the previous 150,000 KRW, and those who have lived between 6 months and less than 10 years will receive 100,000 KRW per month, an increase of 20,000 KRW from the previous 80,000 KRW.
To build infrastructure on the Seohae 5 Islands, 359 billion KRW will be spent on developing the Baengnyeong Airport hinterland, constructing a seawater desalination facility on Baengnyeong, and installing LPG facilities on Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong. Additionally, 14.9 billion KRW will be invested in repairing evacuation facilities, building hospital ships, and fostering emergency medical institutions in vulnerable areas to promote resident safety and convenience.
The city plans to start developing the airport economic zone, including tourism, lodging, and leisure projects, simultaneously with the opening of Baengnyeong Airport once the feasibility study for the airport hinterland development project is completed this year through a service contract. The Baengnyeong Airport construction project is scheduled to begin next year with a target opening in 2029, but Incheon City is negotiating with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to advance the opening to 2027, two years earlier.
The city will also focus on deploying a large passenger ship on the Incheon-Baengnyeong route, which was suspended last year due to the shipping company's financial difficulties. In August last year, Ongjin County in Incheon selected a preferred negotiation partner for operating a large passenger ship through a public contest, but disagreements over the ship operation plan led to the cancellation of the preferred negotiation status. Incheon City and Ongjin County plan to expedite the deployment of a large passenger ship on the Incheon-Baengnyeong route by reviewing the contest conditions, including support for operating deficits and easing participation criteria.
Meanwhile, regarding criticisms that support projects for the Seohae 5 Islands are scattered across multiple government ministries and that the cooperation system between central and local governments is not organic, Incheon City plans to request the government to establish a 'Seohae 5 Islands Special Promotion Team (tentative name)' to serve as an administrative, financial, and security control tower for the Seohae 5 Islands. After conducting resident opinion surveys and public hearings, the city will officially propose this to the government.
An Incheon City official said, "Residents of the Seohae 5 Islands play a role in suppressing tensions between the South and North at the forefront of territorial defense, so we will strive to further strengthen support." He added, "In particular, we will ensure that many of the residents' long-standing projects are reflected in the government's second comprehensive development plan for the Seohae 5 Islands, which will begin this year."
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