On December 18, the Incheon city government announced that it will implement an organizational restructuring effective January 9 next year to improve quality of life and secure future growth engines.
The city has decided to establish a new "Loneliness Care Bureau," recognizing loneliness and social isolation not as individual issues but as structural social problems.
The Loneliness Care Bureau will integrate existing policies and projects, which have previously been divided by target groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities, and young adults, into a single framework to plan and coordinate loneliness response policies. Through this approach, the city aims to move beyond fragmented support and establish a sustainable support system that encompasses prevention, identification, and care.
In particular, starting next year, the city plans to link the comprehensive care support policy-which will be fully implemented-with social services, medical and nursing care, and community-based care resources, in order to minimize gaps in the care system.
At the launch ceremony of the "Loneliness Response Team" held at Incheon City Hall, Mayor Yoo Jung-bok of Incheon and attendees are sending off hope airplanes. 2025.12.11 Incheon City Photo by Incheon City
The city will also establish the "Agri-Fisheries and Food Bureau," which will integrate agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and food industries to enhance the sustainability of local agriculture and fisheries and foster them as sixth-sector industries.
The Agri-Fisheries and Food Bureau will build a comprehensive support system through policies that cover all stages from production and processing to distribution and consumption, and aims to secure new growth engines such as "green bio," which applies biotechnology to agri-fisheries and food products.
Additionally, the city will create the "Yeongjong Ongjin Waterworks Office" to strengthen water welfare in island regions, as well as the "Renewable Energy Division" to foster industries such as offshore wind power and other renewable energy sectors.
Shin Seung-ryul, Director General for Planning and Coordination at Incheon City, stated, "This organizational restructuring is intended to enable a more systematic response to issues directly affecting citizens' daily lives, such as loneliness, care, safety, and local industries," adding, "It will serve as an opportunity for the administrative organization to take a significant step forward."
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