Incheon City Launches Full-Scale "Basic Food Security" to Provide Food and Daily Necessities to Households in Crisis

Seven Food Banks and Markets to Open; Expansion to 14 Locations Planned by September

Up to Three Support Visits per Household Without Income or Asset Screening

Incheon City is set to fully implement the "Basic Food Security (Geunyangdream)" project, which provides food and daily necessities to households in crisis.

According to the city, starting with the opening of the first Food Bank/Market in Gyeyang-gu on May 15, a total of seven food markets will sequentially open in five areas, including Yeonsu-gu, Bupyeong-gu, Ganghwa-gun, and Namdong-gu, by May 19. Each location will operate twice a week for three hours on designated days. Starting in September, a total of 14 Food Banks/Markets will be operated across all districts and counties.

Households in crisis wishing to use the service can apply without an income or asset screening. Each household can receive up to five items, totaling about 20,000 won worth of food and daily necessities, with a maximum of three support visits allowed. In principle, users should visit the service center within their area of residence, but in urgent cases, they can use any location regardless of their address.

On the first visit, applicants must fill out an application form and a self-assessment checklist before receiving supplies. From the second visit onward, if a crisis situation is confirmed through a basic consultation, they will be connected to necessary welfare services.

'Geunyangdream' Project Support Supplies. Provided by Incheon City

The Basic Food Security project provides food and daily necessities to citizens facing livelihood difficulties due to sudden job loss, illness, business closure, or similar crises. It also aims to identify individuals in welfare blind spots through consultations and connect them to the services they need.

In Incheon, a five-month pilot project from December last year served a total of 1,019 people, with over 900 on-site consultations and 48 cases connected to welfare services.

An Incheon City official stated, "The pilot operation has confirmed both the necessity and practical effectiveness of the project. Through the full-scale implementation, we will do our best to close regional gaps in welfare accessibility and establish a more comprehensive welfare safety net."

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