Incheon City Administrative District Reorganization After 30 Years... Legislative Notice for 'Establishment of Yeongjong, Geomdan, and Jemulpo Districts' Bill

The government's legislative process to reorganize Incheon City's administrative system from '2 districts and 8 wards' to '2 districts and 9 wards' for the first time in over 30 years is set to begin. Incheon City announced that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety publicly notified the draft law on the "Establishment of Jemulpo-gu, Yeongjong-gu, and Geomdan-gu in Incheon City" on the 11th.

The draft law mainly proposes merging Jung-gu's inland area and Dong-gu to create the new Jemulpo-gu, separating Jung-gu's island area into Yeongjong-gu, and dividing Seo-gu into Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu based on the Ara Waterway. As a result, the administrative system of 2 districts and 8 wards, which has been in place since 1995, will increase by one ward to become 2 districts and 9 wards.

Following Incheon City's proposal to reorganize its administrative system in June, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducted internal reviews, practical consultations with Incheon City and related ministries, drafted the bill, and gathered opinions through regional visits. The public notice period runs until the 23rd of next month. The draft law includes provisions on the enforcement date (July 1, 2026), transitional measures, and special election rules in its supplementary provisions. Once enacted, special election provisions will allow the election of ward heads and local council members in accordance with the reorganized administrative system during the 9th local elections scheduled for June 3, 2026.

After the public notice, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will co-host a forum with Incheon City on the 22nd to collect opinions on the draft law. Following review by the Office for Government Policy Coordination, approval by the vice ministers and the Cabinet meeting, the bill will be submitted to the National Assembly. Incheon City plans to actively communicate with the National Assembly during the 21st National Assembly session to ensure smooth deliberation and focus administrative efforts on the enactment of the law.

Incheon City Administrative System Reform Plan [Provided by Incheon City]

Incheon City proposed the administrative district reorganization to the government in June to resolve residents' inconveniences caused by mismatched living areas, improve administrative efficiency through population and area adjustments, and promote specialized development by autonomous districts.

Currently, Jung-gu in Incheon is completely divided between the Yeongjong area and the inland area in terms of living zones, and administrative inefficiency is increasing due to the dual administration, such as the opening of Jung-gu's second office on Yeongjong Island. Dong-gu, a city centered on ports and their hinterlands, has unclear boundaries with Jung-gu's inland area, which also has many ports like Incheon Port, and their living zones are quite similar. The city plans to merge Jung-gu and Dong-gu's inland areas into one autonomous district called Jemulpo-gu and separate the Yeongjong area into Yeongjong-gu to minimize residents' inconvenience through adjustments based on living zones.

In the case of Seo-gu, subdivision is inevitable due to population growth, and the city plans to adjust the southern part as Seo-gu and the northern part as Geomdan-gu. Seo-gu currently has a population of about 570,000, but with ongoing new town developments in Cheongna, Luwon, and Geomdan areas, the population is expected to exceed 700,000 in the future. The Geomdan area alone is expected to increase by more than 100,000 people.

In a survey and public opinion poll conducted among residents of Jung-gu, Dong-gu, and Seo-gu, the areas targeted for 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 their reason for support. Residents of Jung-gu inland and Dong-gu mentioned that the plan could boost revitalization policies for the old downtown area, while Yeongjong Island residents expressed that they had experienced inconvenience in using administrative services due to different living zones.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, "With the draft law now publicly notified, the reorganization of Incheon's administrative system has passed the halfway point," adding, "We will actively communicate with the National Assembly to ensure the law is enacted swiftly. Once the bill passes, we will begin preparations for the administrative reorganization to ensure the new system can be implemented starting July 2026."

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