Icheon Named City with Highest Quality of Life Among Rural and Fishing Regions Nationwide

'Rural and Fishing Village Quality of Life Index' Ranks First for Two Consecutive Years
GRDP and Fiscal Self-Reliance More Than Twice the Average

Among rural and fishing regions nationwide, Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province has been selected as the city with the highest quality of life.

Icheon City announced on May 21 that it achieved the highest score in the country for the "Rural and Fishing Village Quality of Life Index," evaluated by the Presidential Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Policy, for the second consecutive year.

This index is a comprehensive measure, published annually since last year, designed to diagnose the overall quality of life for local residents and to seek ways to improve it. The index is calculated using statistical data based on 20 indicators across five categories: economy, health and welfare, culture and community, environment and safety, and regional vitality.

The high score for Icheon is attributed to its stable agricultural system, which is based on the premium rice brand "Imgeumnimpyoicheonssal." The city has established advanced quality control and distribution systems, enabling the purchase of all rice produced. Additionally, the livestock industry has developed through concentrated support for the nation's largest pig and dairy farms, as well as the expansion of processing and distribution infrastructure.

On top of this agricultural and livestock foundation, the addition of advanced manufacturing industries such as semiconductors has further boosted Icheon’s per capita Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) to about 2.7 times the average of mixed urban-rural cities, and its fiscal self-reliance ratio is 2.1 times higher.

The city added that it also scored highly in the areas of "regional vitality" and "health and welfare," thanks to initiatives such as the youth job caf? "Cheongnyeonirum," the All-Care Job Interview Program, the Doodream Health-On Bus, and the 24-hour Childcare Center.

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon, stated, "We will continue to enhance the city's reputation through policies that bring tangible changes to quality of life, making Icheon a city where every generation can be happy."