Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, bordering

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

and Gyeonggi to the east. Inhabited since the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. Today, about 3 million people live in the city, making it South Korea's third-most-populous city after

and

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

. The city's growth has been assured in modern times with the development of its port due to its natural advantages as a coastal city and its proximity to the South Korean capital. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, along with Seoul itself and Gyeonggi Province, forming the world's fourth-largest metropolitan area by population. Incheon has since led the economic development of South Korea by opening its port to the outside world, ushering in the modernization of South Korea as a center of industrialization. In 2003, the city was designated as South Korea's first free economic zone. Since then, large local companies and global enterprises have increasingly invested in the Incheon Free Economic Zone, including Samsung which chose Songdo International City as its new investment destination for its bio industry. As an international city, Incheon has held numerous large-scale international conferences, such as the Incheon Global Fair & Festival in 2009. The 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 was also held in Incheon on 19 September 2014. Incheon has established itself as a major transportation hub in northeast Asia with the Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port.. The large volume of port traffic makes Incheon a Large-Port Metropolis using the Southampton System of Port-City classification .

History

The first historical record of the Incheon area dates back to 475 CE, during the reign of

King Jangsu Jangsu of Goguryeo (394–491, r. 413–491) was the 20th monarch of Goguryeo, the northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He was born in 394 as the eldest son of Gwanggaeto. He became the crown prince in 408, and upon his father's death in ...

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

, by the name of Michuhol, which is supposed to be located on today's Munhak Hill (). The area underwent several name changes with successive kingdoms and dynasties. In

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

era, Incheon was called Gyeongwon () or Inju (). The current name was turned to Incheon in 1413. Later, Incheon County became Incheon Metropolitan Prefecture (dohobu, ). Old Incheon consisted of today's southern Incheon (i.e. Jung-gu, Dong-gu, Nam-gu, Yeonsu-gu, and Namdong-gu) and the northern part of Siheung City. The city center was Gwangyo-dong, where the prefecture office () and the local academy (hyanggyo, ) were located. The "original" two remaining buildings of the Incheon prefecture office are located in Munhak Elementary School, while the newly built (in 2001) prefecture office buildings are right across from

Munhak Baseball Stadium The Incheon SSG Landers Field is a baseball stadium located in Incheon, South Korea. Formerly named the Munhak Baseball Stadium, it is the home of the KBO League team SSG Landers. The stadium has been remodeled with Shinsegae affiliate brands, inc ...

Modern history

Another historical name of the city, Jemulpo (alternatively Romanized as Chemulpo), was not widely used until the opening of the port in 1883. It was frequently used until the Japanese annexation. After the opening of the Incheon port, the city center moved from Gwangyo to Jemulpo. Today, either Jemulpo or Gwangyo-dong is considered "Original Incheon" (). It was internationally known as Jinsen during Japanese rule, based on the Japanese pronunciation of Incheon's Chinese name. In 1914, the Japanese colonial government merged outer parts of old Incheon (including the former center of Gwangyo) with Bupyeong County, forming Bucheon County. Between 1936 and 1940, some part of Bucheon County was recombined into Incheon City, by which some part of "old" Bupyeong was annexed into Incheon. Incheon was originally part of Gyeonggi Province, but was granted ''Directly Governed'' (now Metropolitan) City status on 1 July 1981; the city officially separated from the province. In 1989, neighboring islands and Gyeyang township of Gimpo County were ceded to Incheon and in 1995 Geomdan township of Gimpo Country and two counties of Ganghwa and Onjin were annexed to Incheon Metropolitan City. Incheon was known as Inchon prior to South Korea's adoption of a new Romanization system in 2000.

Major events

The city was the site of the Battle of Chemulpo Bay, where the first shots of the Russo-Japanese War were fired. During the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

, Incheon was occupied by

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

n troops on 4 July 1950. Incheon was the site of the Battle of Inchon when the United States troops landed to relieve pressure on the Pusan Perimeter and to launch a United Nations offensive northward. The result was a decisive UN victory and it was recaptured on 19 September 1950. was named after the tide-turning battle that ensued. Incheon has also hosted a series of major international events. The Global Fair & Festival 2009 Incheon was held in the Songdo District in August 2009. It was open from 7 August to 25 October for a period of 80 days. It was a comprehensive international event with global institutions and corporations as participants. Various musicians and artists performed during the event. The city hosted a meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers in February 2010. Incheon was the site of the third Global Model United Nations Conference, held from 10 to 14 August 2011. It first hosted the

Incheon Women Artists' Biennale The Incheon Women Artists' Biennale, held in Incheon, South Korea, and inaugurated in 2004, subsequently had editions in 2007, 2009, and 2011 that focused on the work of contemporary women artists. It is the first and only art biennale in the wor ...

in 2004 which expanded into welcoming international artists in its subsequent 2007, 2009 and 2011. Incheon hosted the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until th ...

in 2014. It hosted the 6th OECD World Forum in 2018. Incheon was designated as the World Book Capital for the year 2015 by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

Education

On 27 February 2007, Incheon declared itself an "English City," and inaugurated the "Incheon Free English Zone" program. The goal of the program is to make the city as proficient in English as

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. This is for the ultimate purpose of establishing Incheon as a commercial and business hub of northeast Asia (see Free Economic Zone below). The official slogan of the program is "Smile with English."

Higher education

Incheon is home to a number of colleges and universities: * George Mason University Korea Campus * Ghent University Global Campus *

Gyeongin National University of Education Gyeongin National University of Education (GINUE) ( 경인교육대학교) is a teacher training institution for future public elementary school teachers in South Korea. It was founded on May 23, 1946 under the name of Gaeseong School of Educatio ...

Incheon campus * Inha University (formerly Inha Institute of Technology) *

Gachon University Gachon University is an academic institute located in South Korea. The current structure of Gachon university is the result of a merger between four existing universities. Gachon University of Medicine and Science and Gachon-gil College merged ...

Medical·Ganghwa campus *

Gyeongin Women's College The name Gyeongin refers to the Seoul-Incheon corridor in South Korea, and is used as a name for the Gyeongin railway line, the Gyeongin Expressway, and the Gyeongin Canal (which was completed in 2011 and is now called the Arabaetgil Canal), all ...

* Inha Technical College * Incheon Catholic University * Incheon City College * Incheon National University * Jaineung College * University of Utah Asia Campus * SUNY South Korea * Anyang University Ganghwa campus * Yonsei University International campus *

Korea Polytechnics II Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

* Seongsan Hyo University *

Juan International University ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

Primary and secondary schools

International schools: * Chadwick International School Songdo * Overseas Chinese Primary and Middle/High School, Incheon (인천화교소·중산중고등학교) * Cheongna Dalton School

Geography

Climate

Headquarters of the Green Climate Fund, Incheon has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40� ...

( Köppen: ''Cwa''), and

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

( Köppen ''Dwa'', respectively). Like other metropolitan cities, incheon has a strong urban heat island effect. Incheon's climate is about average compared to the rest of Korea, with 8 locations being cooler and 10 locations being warmer, and with 9 locations being wetter and 9 locations being drier. Incheon experiences each of its four seasons, distinctly feeling the rise and fall of temperature and humidity. The temperature however, never rises to an extreme, and the climate of the city is essentially mild. Incheon is swept by the seasonal winds as the northwesterly winds strike the city in the winter and the summer in Incheon is affected by gusts of the warm southwesterly winds.

Economy

Incheon forms the heart of Capital Industrial Region. During the industrialization of South Korea, several industrial complexes were built throughout the city, and as a result, the city was largely dependent on manufacturing industry. But with the designation of Incheon Free Economic Zone in 2003, the city is now making an effort to foster new growth industries. Major industrial parks include Bupyeong industrial complex, which hosts GM Incheon plant(formerly a GM Daewoo Incheon plant), Juan industrial complex, and Namdong Industrial complex. In recent years, bio industry is emerging as a new growth industry of the city. Currently, with the total production capacity of 330kℓ per year, the city ranks 2nd in the world by production capacity along with

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, United States. The capacity is under expansion, and after completion in 2018, the city will rank 1st with the production capacity of 510kℓ. Also,

logistics industry The transport/transportation and logistics industry is a category of companies that provide services to transport people or goods. The Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) lists transport below the industrials sector. The sector consist ...

is also experiencing a rapid growth, thanks to Incheon Airport, which was ranked fourth in the world by cargo traffic, and the expansion of Incheon Port.

Transportation

Incheon is a major domestic and international transport hub for Korea.

Incheon International Airport departures

Air

Incheon International Airport is South Korea's primary international airport and a regional air hub. In 2015, it was the world's 22nd busiest airport by passenger traffic, with 49,412,750 passengers. There were a total of 305,446 flights (300,634 international, 4,812 domestic) to and from Incheon International Airport in 2015, an average of 837 flights (824 international, 13 domestic) daily. Korea's two main carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, serviced 50.9% of flights, while low-cost and foreign carriers serviced the remaining 49.1% of flights. The airport is experiencing a rapid increase in passengers, and the opening of Terminal 2 in December 2017 spurred additional traffic. The airport was also featured in the Korean drama series, "Air City." Incheon International Airport ranked "5th in the world" among international airports.

Sea

Incheon's sea port is the second largest port in Korea after Busan Port. The International Passenger Terminal located at the port offers ferries to five cities in China: Dalian,

Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means "azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Bel ...

, Tianjin, Dandong, and Weihai. There are also ferries to Incheon's outlying islands as well as Baengnyeong Island inside of the Northern Limit Line.

Bus

Incheon Bus Terminal, located at its eponymous subway stop, offers express bus transportation to all parts of Korea. Many city bus lines offer transportation within city limits as well as to the neighboring cities of Bucheon, Gimpo,

, and Siheung. Many intercity buses offer transportation between Seoul and Incheon.

Train

Local service to

Guro Guro may refer to: *Ero guro, a Japanese art movement focusing on eroticism and the grotesque *''Guro'', the Filipino word for "teacher", a teacher of Filipino martial arts; derived from the Sanskrit word ''guru'' * Guro-dong, a ''dong'' (neighbor ...

Cheongnyangni Cheongnyangni-dong is a neighbourhood, '' dong'' of Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul, South Korea. At this dong, there are many convenient buildings like many kinds of financial companies and banks, a branch of Lotte Department Store, and Cheongnyangni S ...

, Uijeongbu and Soyosan is offered by Seoul's subway

Line 1 Line 1 or 1 line may refer to: Public transport Africa * Line 1 (Algiers Metro), Algeria * Cairo Metro Line 1, Egypt Asia China * Line 1 (Beijing Subway) * Line 1 (Changchun Rail Transit) * Line 1 (Changsha Metro) * Line 1 (Changzhou Metro) * L ...

. The line has 11 stations within Incheon and connects to the Incheon Subway at Bupyeong and Juan stations. Rapid service on the same line to Yongsan Station in Seoul depart from Dongincheon station and stops at major stations. The Airport Express ( AREX) line runs from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station via Gimpo International Airport. The Incheon-Gimpo section was opened in March 2007 and was extended to Seoul station in December 2010. Passengers can choose a high-speed service stopping only at Incheon airport and Seoul, which takes 43 minutes but departs only every half-hour; or the all-station service which takes 53 minutes but leaves every six minutes. KTX service was introduced on the AREX line on 30 June 2014, with stops at Incheon International Airport Station and

Geoman Station A yeoman was a member of an English social class, generally a freeman who owned his, or her, own farm. The term was also used in North America. Yeoman or yeomen may also refer to: Military *Yeoman (United States Navy), a rating in the United St ...

. There are additional plans to use the newly built

Suin Line The Suin Line (Suwon-Incheon) was a metro line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway serving the Seoul Capital Area. The original route, abandoned in 1995, was one of the few narrow-gauge railways in South Korea. Opened by the privately owned Chosen ...

to bring KTX service to Incheon Station by 2021.

Subway

The Incheon Subway has two subway lines serving the city. The first line connects to the Seoul Metropolitan Subway system at Bupyeong Station ( Seoul Subway Line 1), and AREX line at Gyeyang Station. It connects International Business District Station in Songdo to Gyeyang Station. The line has 28 stations on of track. The line also has transfer stations with the

at Woninjae Station, with the

Incheon Subway Line 2 Incheon Subway Line 2 is a 27 station subway line from Oryu-dong in Seo-gu to Incheon Grand Park., part of the Incheon Subway system. The line is also included as a part of the overall Seoul Metropolitan Subway network; Juan station has a fre ...

at Incheon City Hall Station, and with Seoul Subway Line 7 at Bupyeong-gu Office Station.

opened in July 2016 and runs from Geomdan Oryu Station to Unyeon Station. The automated line is long, and has 27 stations, including transfer stations at Geomam station with the AREX line, Juan Station with Seoul Subway Line 1 and

at Incheon City Hall Station. The Incheon subway is operated by the Incheon Rapid Transit Corporation (IRTC). There are additional plans for a third subway line in Incheon.

Korail The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed ...

has also constructed a new commuter rail line named

. The line opened in 2012 from Oido Station in Siheung to Songdo Station in Incheon. It was then extended in 2016, and now reaches Incheon Station where passengers can transfer to Seoul Subway Line 1. In 2020, the line was extended from Oido Station to

Suwon Station Suwon Station is a railway station in the city of Suwon, South Korea. The station was completely redeveloped in 2002 and 2003, and is now integrated with the Aekyung Shopping Mall (AK Plaza). This station serves Inter-city railway Gyeongbu Line K ...

. SMRT (one of three operating companies of Seoul Metropolitan Subway) has extended Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 7 to Bupyeong-gu office by 2011 and provided transfers to the Incheon Subway system. It has 3 stations within Incheon. By 2020, the line will further be extended westwards to Seoknam Station where it will be possible to transfer to Incheon Subway Line 2.

Free Economic Zone

The Incheon Free Economic Zone consists of the three regions of Songdo, Cheongna, and the island of Yeongjong, and has a total area of . The goal of IFEZ is to transform these three areas into hubs for logistics, international business, leisure, and tourism for the Northeast Asian region. The term 'Free Economic Zone' applies to the development in these three areas with the aim of improving the business environment for foreign-invested enterprises and the living conditions for foreigners. The zone is a specially designated area to create the most favorable business and living environment where foreign nationals can live and invest freely and conveniently. Incheon's Free Economic Zone, the first in Korea, was officially designated by the Korean government in August 2003. IFEZ is planned to be a self-contained living and business district featuring air and sea transportation, a logistics complex, an international business center, financial services, residences, schools and hospitals, and shopping and entertainment centres.

New Songdo City

Songdo International City began development in 1994 and is being built on reclaimed land. It is designated to become a center of diverse international businesses, a hub for international trade, an area for knowledge-based technologies, and a place for eco-friendly urban living. Construction is due to be completed in 2020. * Development size: * Planned population: 252,000 persons * Construction duration: 1994~2020

Yeongjong Island

, Yeongjong International City's centering on the Incheon International Airport is being developed as an eco-friendly airport city scheduled to be completed by 2020. Paradise Co, a South Korean casino operator, said in October 2013 that it will build the country's largest casino on Yeongjong Island.

Cheongna

The Cheongna district, on the mainland adjacent Yeongjong Island, will focus on entertainment and will feature a world class theme park. It will also be a residential area with sports facilities, a floriculture complex, and a business area specially designed for international finance. * Development Size: * Planned population: 90,000 persons * Duration: 2004~2008

Administrative divisions

Incheon is divided into 8 districts (''gu'') and 2 counties (''gun''). * Bupyeong District () * Dong District () *

Gyeyang District Gyeyang District (Gyeyang-gu) is a ward in Incheon, South Korea. History The first historical record of Gyeyang-gu goes back to the Goguryeo kingdom in 470 AD under the name of Jubuto-gun. It was renamed to Bupyeong-dohobu in 1413 AD. It was lat ...

() *

Jung District Jung District (), meaning "Central District," is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu *Jung District, Daejeon *Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul *Jung District, Ulsan ...

() * Michuhol District () * Namdong District () *

Seo District Seo-gu (), or " Western District," is the name of a ''gu'' in several South Korean cities: * Seo-gu, Busan * Seo-gu, Daegu * Seo-gu, Daejeon * Seo-gu, Gwangju * Seo-gu, Incheon Seo District (Seo-gu) is the largest district in Incheon, South Korea ...

() * Yeonsu District () * Ganghwa County () * Ongjin County ()

Demographics

According to the 2015 census, 32.6% of the population follow

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

(23.1%

Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and 9.5%

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

) and 8.7% follow

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. 57.9% of the population is irreligious. 0.8% of the population follow other religions including

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or ''Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

, Muism, and

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

Sports

Incheon is home to the following professional and semi professional sports teams: Association football: The K League 1 team Incheon United FC.
The Incheon team was known to have a popular rivalry against former Bucheon SK (now Jeju United), due to the teams' close geographical relationship. The K4 League team

FC Namdong FC Namdong was a South Korean football club based in the district of Namdong-gu in the city of Incheon. The team was founded in 2019 and last played in the K4 League, a semi-professional league and the fourth tier of football in South Korea. In 2 ...

is based in the Namdong District of Incheon. The WK League team is named Hyundai Steel Red Angels. Baseball: The KBO League team SSG Landers.
The first Incheon-based professional baseball team were Sammi Superstars. Basketball: The WKBL team

Incheon Shinhan Bank S-Birds Incheon Shinhan Bank S-Birds ( ko, 인천 신한은행 에스버드) is a professional basketball club in the Women's Korean Basketball League The Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) (Hangul: 한국여자프로농구) is the premier professi ...

is based in Incheon. Between 1997 and 2021, Incheon hosted the KBL team Incheon Electroland Elephants. Volleyball: The

V-League V-League or V.League may refer to: * V.League (Japan), a professional volleyball league * V-League (South Korea), a professional volleyball league * V-League (Philippines), a collegiate volleyball league * V.League 1 The V.League 1 ( vi, Gi� ...

teams are

Incheon Korean Air Jumbos Incheon Korean Air Jumbos ( ko, 인천 대한항공 점보스) is a South Korean professional volleyball team. The team was founded in 1969 and became fully professional in 2005. They are based in Incheon and are members of the Korea Volleyball Fe ...

(men's) and

Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders Incheon Heungkuk Life Insurance Pink Spiders ( ko, 인천 흥국생명 핑크스파이더스) is a South Korean women's professional volleyball team. The team was founded in 1971 and became fully professional in 2005. They are based in Incheon an ...

(women's). Munhak Sports Complex: The Munhak Sports Complex houses both a football stadium and a baseball stadium. The football stadium was Incheon's venue for the

2002 Football World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

, and is also the home venue for Incheon United. The baseball stadium is the home venue for the SSG Landers. In April 2007, Incheon was selected as the host city for the 2014 Asian Games, beating out

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

. Yeonhui Cricket Ground: Yeonhui Cricket Ground is a purpose-built cricket stadium in Incheon built for cricket events at the 2014 Asian Games. The 2014 Asian Games featured cricket for both the men's and the women's event and this ground was used for the scheduled cricket matches played at the games. It is the first cricket stadium in South Korea. Incheon Football Stadium (Sungui Arena): Incheon Football Stadium is the first football-only stadium in Incheon. It was built in 2012 with a capacity for 20,891 spectators.

Points of interest

A number of Korea's western islands, including Ganghwa Island, Yeongjong Island, and Baengnyeong Island are also administered by Incheon. Baengnyeong Island is South Korea's westernmost point. * Bupyeong Station is where the Seoul Subway Line 1 and Incheon subway line intersect. There is a large under ground shopping center there mostly selling trendy women's clothing and cell phones. Above ground, there are many restaurants, additional shops, and a Lotte Mart. Bupyeong Station Underground Shopping Centre has 1,408 stores in 31,692m (official statistics from the National Archives of Korea), was officially certified as the place with the largest number of stores in the world by American World Record Academy in November 2014. * Jayu (Freedom) Park is a park near the city's port. The statue of General Douglas MacArthur, as well as a memorial to the centennial anniversary of U.S. and Korea relations is located there. * Chinatown is Korea's only official Chinatown, located across from Incheon Station near Jayu Park. * Incheon Bus Terminal refers to an area surrounding the city's bus terminal. There is also a performance venue and a subway station. Within this area of Guwol-dong is Rodeo Street, a busy central square packed with restaurants and department stores. *

Wolmido Wolmido (월미도), also known as Wŏlmi-do, is an island off the coast of South Korea near Incheon. It was connected to the mainland by a highway in 1989, and was later connected by a monorail which opened in late 2019. It is a weekend desti ...

is the location of

Green Beach Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...

, one of the landing sites for MacArthur's invasion force. It is now a local tourist attraction with a boardwalk, an amusement park and many raw fish restaurants. Ferries run from Wolmido to Yeongjongdo and Jakyakdo. * Jakyakdo is a tiny island located in the harbor close between Wolmido and Yeongjongdo. There are many walkways and picnic spots, a restaurant, and seasonal rental rooms. * Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall is a plaza and small museum dedicated to the Incheon Landing. Weapons and artifacts from the war and operation are displayed. * Incheon Dohobu Cheongsa is the old government complex for Incheon. Located near Munhak Stadium, it has existed since at least the reign of King Sejong, about 1424 AD. *

Ara Canal The Ara Canal or Gyeongin Ara Waterway (Hangul: ) is a canal in South Korea linking the Han River to the Yellow Sea. It extends from the Seo-gu district in Incheon to the Gangseo-gu district in Seoul. The canal was built to control flooding ...

is a waterway connecting the Han River and the Yellow Sea. Along the canal is a park and a bike path that is increasingly becoming popular with the locals. * Korean-chinese cultural center was built by the Jung-gu District of Incheon to facilitate mutual understanding between Korea and China. *

Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village, or Songwol-dong Donghwa Village, is a fairy tale-themed village located in Songwol-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the p ...

was born from a renovation project to improve the envelopment of the village, and is now a main attraction amongst young people and children. *

Peking opera wall } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

is located in the heart of the Chinatown. File:Korea-us100.jpg, Monument to 100 years of friendship between Korea and the US in Jayu Park File:Jayumacarthur.jpg, The statue of MacArthur at Jayu Park File:Jayuwalkway.jpg, A walkway in Jayu Park File:Korea-Incheon-Chinatown-01.jpg, The only official Chinatown in

File:Peking opera wall chinatown.jpg, Peking Opera wall Chinatown, Incheon, South Korea File:Korean-Chinese Cultural Center.jpg, Korean-chinese cultural center Chinatown in

File:Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village.jpg, Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village in Incheon in

File:Incheon-port.jpg, Port of Incheon File:Incheon bridge 2009.jpg, Incheon Bridge File:Jakyakdo.jpg, The tiny island of Jakyakdo File:Walmido promenade.jpg, Wolmido promenade File:Incheon City Hall.JPG,

Notable people

*Lee Je-no, member of NCT (group), NCT and its subunit NCT Dream *Cho Mi-yeon, Miyeon, (G)I-dle *Hapkido Grand Master Han Bong-soo *Hangzoo, Rhythm Power *Myung Jae-nam *Kim Ryeo-wook, Super Junior *Hyoyeon, Kim Hyo-yeon, Girls' Generation *Choi Minho (singer), Choi Min-ho, Shinee *Kang Ki-young *Michaela Dietz, voice actress *Kim Gu-ra *Kim Nam-il, footballer *Cho Yong-hyung, footballer *Shin Ji, Koyote *Yoon Chae-kyung, April (band), April *Kang Hye-jung, actress *Kim Eun-Jung (footballer), Kim Eun-jung, footballer *Go Kyung-pyo, actor *Lee Sung-hyun, kickboxer *Choi Ji-man, baseball player (New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays) *Bang Yong-guk, B.A.P (band), B.A.P *Ku Hye-sun, actress *Hyolyn, Sistar *Roh Ji-hoon, singer *Ryu Hyun-jin, baseball player (Hanwha Eagles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays) *Park Cho-a, soloist and former member of AOA (band), AOA * Park Chae-Won (''known as Gowon''), singer (Loona). *Bang Min-ah, Girl's Day *Nam Ji-hyun (actress), Nam Ji-hyun *Kyung Soo-jin *Kim Young-kwang (actor), Kim Young-kwang *Sohyang, singer, author *JinJoo Lee, DNCE *Ong Seong-wu, former member of Wanna One, actor and soloist *Yoo Seung-ho, actor *Lee Kang-in, footballer *Jung Seung-hwan (singer), Jung Seung-hwan, singer *Kim Sung-joo (entertainer), Kim Sung-joo, singer, actor, Uniq (band), UNIQ *Sung Dong-il, actor *Kim So-hee (singer, born 1999), Sohee, singer and member of Elris *Park Nam-choon *Kim Do-yeon (singer), Doyeon, singer, actress and member of Weki Meki and WJMK (group), WJMK *Young Kim *Hong Soo-hyun, actress *Peggy Gou, DJ *Jeong Ye-in, singer and member of Lovelyz *Eunseo, singer and member of WJSN *Seo Ji-soo, singer and member of Lovelyz *Wonpil, Kim Won-pil, singer-songwriter, keyboardist and member of Day6 *Han Ji-sung, rapper, singer, producer songwriter and member of Stray Kids *Do Han-se, rapper and member of Victon

International relations

Incheon is Sister city, twinned with: * Alexandria, Egypt (2000) * Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage, United States (1986) * Banten, Indonesia (2009) * Burbank, California, Burbank, United States (1961) * Chongqing, China (2007) * Haiphong, Vietnam (1997) * Honolulu, United States (2003) * Kitakyushu, Japan (1988) * Kobe, Japan (2010) * Kolkata, India (2007) * Manila, Philippines (2008) * Mérida, Yucatán, Mérida, Mexico (2007) * Panama City, Panama (2000) * Philadelphia, United States (1983) * Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2009) * Shenyang, China (2014) * Taoyuan, Taiwan, Taoyuan, Taiwan (2009) * Tel Aviv, Israel (2000) * Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (2017) * Veneto, Italy (2010) * Vladivostok, Russia (2012) * Yekaterinburg, Russia (2009)

References

External links

*
National Institute of Biological Resources on Google Cultural Institute
{{Authority control Incheon, Seoul Capital Area Special Cities and Metropolitan Cities of South Korea Port cities and towns in South Korea