Incheon City's 'Administrative System Reform Plan' Passed by City Council... Aiming for Legislation in the 21st National Assembly

Reorganization of Jung-gu and Dong-gu into 'Yeongjong-gu' centered on Yeongjongdo and 'Jemulpo-gu' focused on inland areas
Seogu divided into 'Seogu' and 'Geomdan-gu' based on the Gyeongin Ara Waterway

Incheon City has decided to accelerate efforts to enact legislation during the 21st National Assembly session following the passage of an administrative system reorganization plan, which includes the provisional establishment of Geomdan-gu, Yeongjong-gu, and Jemulpo-gu, by the city council.

On the 1st, the Incheon City Council held the first plenary session of the 288th regular meeting and approved the agenda item titled "Hearing Opinions on the Administrative System Reorganization Plan" proposed by the city. Accordingly, the city has completed all procedures for gathering local opinions and obtaining approval from the local council regarding the administrative system reorganization and will formally submit the reorganization plan to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the same day.

If the Ministry of the Interior and Safety deems the city's proposal valid, it will proceed with enacting the law, submit the government bill to the National Assembly after the Cabinet meeting. The administrative system reorganization is a matter that must be legislated through local council opinion gathering under the Local Autonomy Act.

Incheon City aims to complete the necessary legislation for the administrative system reorganization during the 21st National Assembly session. The goal is to hold the 2026 local elections in accordance with the reorganization and inaugurate the 9th elected mayoral term accordingly.

The city's administrative reorganization plan centers on merging Jung-gu's inland area and Dong-gu to create Jemulpo-gu, separating Jung-gu's island area into Yeongjong-gu, and dividing Seo-gu into Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu based on the Gyeongin Ara Waterway.

Incheon Administrative District Reorganization Plan [Provided by Incheon City]

Currently, Jung-gu is completely separated in terms of living zones between the Yeongjong area and the inland area, and administrative inefficiency is increasing due to dual 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 a vague boundary with Jung-gu's inland area, which has many ports including Incheon Port, and their living zones 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 separate the Yeongjong area into Yeongjong-gu, minimizing residents' inconvenience through adjustments based on living zones.

In the case of Seo-gu, division is inevitable due to population growth, and the city plans to adjust the southern part of Seo-gu to remain Seo-gu and the northern part to become 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.

In a survey and public opinion poll conducted last month targeting residents of Jung-gu, Dong-gu, and Seo-gu, the areas subject to administrative reorganization, 84.2% of the 4,493 respondents supported the reorganization plan. Seo-gu residents cited the need to respond to future administrative demands due to population growth as a reason for their support.

Additionally, residents of Jung-gu's inland area and Dong-gu mentioned that "policies to revitalize the old downtown can gain momentum," while Yeongjong Island residents expressed that "(until now) there were inconveniences in using administrative services due to different living zones."

If the administrative district reorganization is realized, Incheon will transition from the current system of 2 counties and 8 districts, established in 1995, to 2 counties and 9 districts. The boundary delineation method will apply the sea boundary principle for Jemulpo-gu and Yeongjong-gu, and the Ara Waterway boundary principle for Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu. The names of the autonomous districts will be finalized through a public opinion survey.

An official from Incheon City stated, "All legal procedures that the city must carry out, including the public discussion process and gathering opinions from residents and the local council regarding the administrative system reorganization, have been completed. We will work together with local political circles to ensure that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety accepts the proposal, drafts the legislation, and that it passes through the National Assembly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.