Incheon City announced on the 4th that it will open a Return-to-Fishing School and a Return-to-Fishing and Return-to-Rural Support Center. This initiative aims to help returnees settle stably in fishing villages and to prevent population decline in these areas through population inflow.
Since January, the city selected 20 students for the Return-to-Fishing School through a three-week recruitment process. The program plans to provide three weeks of theoretical education necessary for return-to-fishing, return-to-rural life, and settlement in fishing villages, followed by two weeks of practical field training and hands-on experience in fishing villages.
Graduates of the program will receive benefits such as support for starting fishing-related businesses and purchasing homes, support for young people settling in fishing villages, mentoring for entrepreneurs, and assistance with purchasing compound feed. Participation in the education is free of charge, and the city plans to operate the Return-to-Fishing School four times this year.
The Return-to-Fishing and Return-to-Rural Support Center supports urban residents’ fishing village attraction programs linked to return-to-fishing and return-to-rural initiatives to revitalize fishing villages struggling with population decline and aging. After counseling prospective returnees, the center provides various information, offers guidance on fishing techniques, and conducts adaptation training for fishing village life. It also plans to activate exchange and cooperation projects with local residents and participate in return-to-fishing and return-to-rural expos.
Aerial view of Seopori Port, where the 'Fishing Village New Deal 300' project is underway [Provided by Incheon City]
Incheon City expects that once the Return-to-Fishing and Return-to-Rural Support Center opens, it will be able to integrate related policies currently scattered across various institutions and strengthen related support. Additionally, the city will promote step-by-step projects for return-to-fishing and return-to-rural, such as 'Interest → Hope (Preparation) → Settlement → Governance,' to increase the population inflow to fishing villages by enhancing their appeal and recognition.
Through participation in return-to-fishing and return-to-rural expos, website development, and urban resident fishing village attraction support, the city will stimulate interest. It will also reduce the initial burden on urban residents returning to fishing by promoting pre-experience programs, operating the Return-to-Fishing School, implementing a returnee internship system, and supporting business startups and home purchases.
Moreover, the city will assist stable settlement in fishing villages by providing settlement funds for fishermen, public fisheries direct payments, and establishing houses for returnees. It will lower entry barriers for young people in fisheries and fishing villages through support for aquaculture farms and lease fees. By improving fishing village and fishing port environments and expanding fishing village living service infrastructure such as the Fishing Village New Deal 300, the city plans to create livable fishing villages and expand the inflow of returnees.
The fishing village population in Incheon, which was 5,133 in 2016, has continuously decreased to 4,728 in 2018, 3,512 in 2020, and 3,030 in 2022. Ganghwa-gun and Ongjin-gun, representative fishing village areas in Incheon, were classified as 'population decline areas' by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2021. Incheon City enacted the 'Ordinance on the Activation and Support of Return-to-Fishing and Return-to-Rural' in December 2022 and plans to operate the center with a five-year support plan starting this year.
An Incheon City official stated, "Incheon has excellent accessibility and is a region where urban and fishing villages coexist," adding, "We will create hope in fishing villages through return-to-fishing and return-to-rural activation projects tailored to Incheon."
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