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 and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

and

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

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 parts ...

, 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, w ...

. 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 The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

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 Incheon International Airport (IIA; ) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area and one of the largest and busiest airports ...

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 most ...

, 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 unificati ...

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 Siheung ( ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The city has a population of 511,807 people, where 508,646 are residents out of 218,846 households as of August 2021. Siheung acquired its curren ...

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 Bucheon () is a administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite town, satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second ...

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 The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

were fired. During the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, 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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n troops on 4 July 1950. Incheon was the site of the

Battle of Inchon The Battle of Incheon (), also spelled Battle of Inchon, was an amphibious invasion and a battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations Command (UN). The operation involved so ...

when the United States troops landed to relieve pressure on the

Pusan Perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the ...

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 The G20 or Group of Twenty is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union (EU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, ...

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 t ...

in 2014. It hosted the 6th

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate e ...

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. It ...

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 George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

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 Catholic University is a private university located in the Yeonsu District of Incheon, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korea ...

Incheon City College 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 Kore ...

* Incheon National University * Jaineung College *

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

Asia Campus * SUNY South Korea *

Anyang University Anyang University is a private university in Korea. Courses consist of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and research programs. The main campus is located in Anyang City, south of Seoul in Gyeonggi province and the second campus is located ...

Ganghwa campus * Yonsei University International campus * Korea Polytechnics II * Seongsan Hyo University * Juan International University

Primary and secondary schools

International schools: *

Chadwick International School Songdo Chadwick International ( ko, 채드윅송도국제학교) is a PK-12, coeducational, nonsectarian, non-profit, independent, international day school located in the Songdo International City, Republic of Korea. The curriculum is based on the Intern ...

Overseas Chinese Primary and Middle/High School, Incheon Overseas may refer to: * ''Overseas'' (album), a 1957 album by pianist Tommy Flanagan and his trio *Overseas (band), an American indie rock band * "Overseas" (song), a 2018 song by American rappers Desiigner and Lil Pump * "Overseas" (Tee Grizzley ...

(인천화교소·중산중고등학교) *

Cheongna Dalton School Cheongna Dalton School (CDS) is a secular international private college preparatory school situated in Cheongna, Incheon, South Korea, offering an American curriculum following the Dalton Plan in an English-only setting. Cheongna Dalton School op ...

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 freezing ...

( Köppen ''Dwa'', respectively). Like other metropolitan cities, incheon has a strong

urban heat island An urban heat island (UHI) is an urban or metropolitan area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities. The temperature difference is usually larger at night than during the day, and is most apparen ...

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 Incheon International Airport (IIA; ) (sometimes referred to as Seoul–Incheon International Airport) is the largest airport in South Korea. It is the primary airport serving the Seoul Capital Area and one of the largest and busiest airports ...

, 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

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 Port of Busan () is the largest port in South Korea, located in the city of Busan, South Korea. Its location is known as Busan Harbor. The port is ranked sixth in the world's container throughput and is the largest seaport in South Korea. Th ...

. The International Passenger Terminal located at the port offers ferries to five cities in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Dalian Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...

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 Belt ...

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

Dandong Dandong (), formerly known as Andong, is a coastal prefecture-level city in southeastern Liaoning province, in the northeastern region of People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese border city, facing Sinuiju, North Korea across the ...

, and

Weihai Weihai (), formerly called Weihaiwei (), is a prefecture-level city and major seaport in easternmost Shandong province. It borders Yantai to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east, and is the closest Chinese city to South Korea. Weihai's popula ...

. There are also ferries to Incheon's outlying islands as well as

Baengnyeong Island Baengnyeong Island (sometimes spelled Baekryeong; ) is a , long and wide island in Ongjin County, Incheon, South Korea, located near the Northern Limit Line. The 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement which ended the Korean War specified that the fiv ...

inside of the

Northern Limit Line The Northern Limit Line or North Limit Line (NLL) – 북방한계선 (in ROK) – is a disputed maritime demarcation line in the Yellow (West) Sea between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the north, and the Republic of Ko ...

Bus

Incheon Bus Terminal Incheon Bus Terminal, not far from Incheon City Hall, is the busiest bus station in Incheon, South Korea and the main gateway for intranational buses connecting Incheon city. It is operated by Incheon Transit Corporation which was founded by the ...

, 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

Gimpo Gimpo () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities of Paju and Goyang. North Korea is across the Han River. The cu ...

, and

. Many intercity buses offer transportation between Seoul and Incheon.

Train

Local service to Guro,

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 Uijeongbu () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Overview Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a Defile (geography), defile, with mountains on two sides, and com ...

and

Soyosan Soyosan is a mountain in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Its area extends across the cities of Pocheon and Dongducheon. It has an elevation of .An 2004, p.328. The mountain is home to two Buddhist shrines commemorating Silla priests Wonhyo and Uisan ...

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

Seoul Station Seoul Station is a major railway station in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The station is served by the Korail Intercity Lines and the commuter trains of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. Services KTX Seoul Station is the terminus of most ...

via

Gimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport (), commonly known as Gimpo Airport , formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Central District of Seoul. Gimpo was the main interna ...

. 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 Korea Train eXpress (), often known as KTX (), is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail. Construction began on the high-speed line from Seoul to Busan in 1992. KTX services were launched on April 1, 2004. From Seoul Station the ...

service was introduced on the AREX line on 30 June 2014, with stops at

Incheon International Airport Station Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Station is a railway station on AREX and Incheon Airport Maglev. It is in Incheon International Airport's transport center near Terminal 1. Both commuter("All-stop") and express services stop at this stati ...

and Geoman Station. 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 The Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. The system serves most of the Seoul Metropolitan Area including ...

system at

Bupyeong Station Bupyeong station is a subway station located in Bupyeong District, a district in Incheon, South Korea. This station is on the Seoul Subway Line 1 and Incheon Subway Line 1. It is one of the most crowded stations on the Incheon line because of its ...

(

Seoul Subway Line 1 Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway is a rapid transit and commuter rail line which links central Seoul, South Korea to Soyosan Station in the northeast, Incheon in the southwest, and Sinchang (Soonchunhyang Univ.) ...

), 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 fr ...

at Incheon City Hall Station, and with Seoul Subway Line 7 at

Bupyeong-gu Office Station Bupyeong-gu Office Station is a subway station on Line 1 of the Incheon Subway. In May 2021, it was connected to the Seoul Subway Line 7 Seoul Subway Line 7 of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway was built from 1990 to 1996 (Jangam- Konkuk Univ.) a ...

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 Geomam station is a railway station on AREX AREX (Airport Railroad Express) is a South Korean commuter rail line that links Incheon International Airport with Seoul Station via Gimpo International Airport. The section between the two airpo ...

with the AREX line, Juan Station with

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

to Songdo Station in Incheon. It was then extended in 2016, and now reaches Incheon Station where passengers can transfer to

. 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 {{advertisement, date=April 2019 Cheong-na International City (also pronounced Cheongla) is a development project in Seo-gu, Incheon, Korea. Cheong-na International City is built on a nearly two million square foot plot of land (5.38 million Ko ...

, and the island of

Yeongjong Yeongjong Island is an island off the west coast of the city of Incheon, South Korea, which contains Incheon International Airport as well as small villages, farms, and beaches. The previously separate Yongyu, Sammok, and Sinbul Islands have b ...

, 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 Songdo International Business District (Songdo IBD) is a smart city or "ubiquitous city" & " Private town " built from scratch on of reclaimed land along Incheon's waterfront, southwest of Seoul, South Korea and connected to Incheon Internat ...

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

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 () *

Michuhol District Michuhol District (Michuhol-gu) is a municipal district in Incheon, South Korea. This district was called Nam (South) District until July 1, 2018.

() *

Namdong District Namdong District (Namdong-gu) is a municipal district in Incheon, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border ...

() *

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 Ongjin County may refer to: * Ongjin County, Incheon, South Korea * Ongjin County, South Hwanghae Ongjin County is a county in southern South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. It is located on the Ongjin Peninsula, which projects into the Yellow ...

()

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. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

(23.1%

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

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 gra ...

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

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

Muism Korean shamanism or Mu-ism is a religion from Korea. In the Korean language, alternative terms for the tradition are ''musok'' () and ''mugyo'' (무교, 巫敎). Scholars of religion have classified it as a folk religion. There is no central auth ...

, 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 The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. History The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...

team

Incheon United FC Incheon United FC is a South Korean professional football club based in Incheon that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. Founded in 2003, the club is a so-called "community club", with the government of the cit ...

.
The Incheon team was known to have a popular rivalry against former

Bucheon SK Jeju United Football Club (Hangul: 제주 유나이티드) is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeju Province that competes in the K League 1, the top division in South Korea. In the past, the club has been known as the ''Yukon ...

(now

Jeju United Jeju United Football Club (Hangul: 제주 유나이티드) is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeju Province that competes in the K League 1, the top division in South Korea. In the past, the club has been known as the ''Yukon ...

), due to the teams' close geographical relationship. The

K4 League The K4 League is the fourth tier of the South Korean football league system. After 2019, the semi-professional Korea National League and the former amateur K3 League were rebranded into the current K3 League and K4 League. Competition format T ...

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

of Incheon. The

WK League The WK League (Hangul: WK리그) is a semi-professional women's football league, run by the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the Korea Women's Football Federation (KWFF), which represents the sport's highest level in South Korea. The regular ...

team is named Hyundai Steel Red Angels. Baseball: The

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

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 The Daegu KOGAS Pegasus (in Korean: 대구 한국가스공사 페가수스) is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Established in 1994, the team plays in the KBL since its existence. Since 2021, the club is based ...

. Volleyball: The V-League 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 a ...

(women's). Munhak Sports Complex: The Munhak Sports Complex houses both a

football stadium Football stadium may refer to: * A stadium used in gridiron football, association football or Australian rules football * A soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a spo ...

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 The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

, beating out

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

. 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 Incheon Football Stadium, also known as Sungui Arena Park, is a football-specific stadium in Incheon, South Korea. The stadium is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Incheon United of the K League. The stadium was d ...

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

are also administered by Incheon. Baengnyeong Island is South Korea's westernmost point. *

is where the

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 Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

, as well as a memorial to the centennial anniversary of U.S. and Korea relations is located there. *

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

is Korea's only official Chinatown, located across from Incheon Station near Jayu Park. *

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 A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

, an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

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 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 Kore ...

is a plaza and small museum dedicated to the Incheon Landing. Weapons and artifacts from the war and operation are displayed. *

Incheon Dohobu Cheongsa 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 Kore ...

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 The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...

. 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 wallis located in the heart of the

. 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

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

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 The Incheon Bridge () is a reinforced concrete cable-stayed bridge in South Korea. At its opening in October 2009, it became the second bridge connection between Yeongjong Island and the mainland of Incheon. The Incheon Bridge is South Korea's ...

File:Jakyakdo.jpg, The tiny island of Jakyakdo File:Walmido promenade.jpg, Wolmido promenade File:Incheon City Hall.JPG,

Notable people

Lee Je-no Lee Je-no (; born April 23, 2000), known professionally as Jeno, is a South Korean rapper and singer. He is a member of the South Korean boy group NCT and its sub-unit NCT Dream. Career Pre-debut activities Jeno began his career as a child ...

, member of NCT and its subunit NCT Dream *

Miyeon Mi-yeon, also spelled Mi-youn or Mi-yeun, is a Korean feminine given name. The meaning differs based on the hanja used to write each syllable of the name. Hanja , regulations of the Supreme Court of Korea permit the following 44 hanja with the r ...

(G)I-dle (G)I-dle (), stylized in all caps, is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, 202 ...

* 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

History

Modern history

Major events

Education

Higher education

Primary and secondary schools

Geography

Climate

Economy

Transportation

Air

Sea

Bus

Train

Subway

Free Economic Zone

New Songdo City

Yeongjong Island

Cheongna

Administrative divisions

Demographics

Sports

Points of interest

Notable people

International relations

See also

References

External links