Incheon Metropolitan City
Korean Name
Revised Romanization	Incheon Gwangyeoksi
McCune-Reischauer	Inch'ŏn Kwangyŏksi
Hangul	인천 광역시
Hanja	仁川廣域市
Short Name	Incheon (Inch'ŏn; 인천; 仁川)
Statistics
Population	2,466,338 (2000 census [1])
Area	964.53 km²
Government	Metropolitan City
Administrative Divisions	8 wards ("Gu"); 2 counties ("Gun")
Region	Sudogwon
Dialect	Seoul
Location Map

Incheon Metropolitan City is a metropolitan city and major seaport on the west coast of South Korea, near Seoul.

Human settlement on the location goes back to the Neolithic. In modern times Incheon became important because its location on an estuary makes it a good harbor; when the port was founded in 1883, the city's population was only 4,700. It was called Chemulpo in that period. Incheon now has an international airport, and it was one of the locations of the 2002 Football World Cup. It is also under the control of one of the two Free Economic Zone Authorities in Korea, which is aimed to concentrate foreign investment. Incheon is aimed to become Asia's newest financial and corporate hub along with Korea's Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority, which is centered on the dynamic southern harbor of Busan.

The city boundaries include an area of 964.53 km², of which 21 percent is rice paddies and another 44 percent is forested.

Incheon was the site of a United States troop landing on September 15, 1950, in order to relieve pressure on the Pusan Perimeter and to launch a United Nations drive northward.

Incheon is sometimes regarded as a part of greater metropolitan area of Seoul for their close distance, and they are linked by Seoul Metropolitan Subway, which links to the Incheon Subway line. It is, however, a true city in its own. This is recognized politically where Incheon is separate from Seoul. The city now has the main international airport for South Korea and Seoul: Incheon International Airport.

The city is also home to K-League soccer side Incheon United.

Administrative divisions

Incheon is divided into 8 wards ("Gu") and 2 counties ("Gun").

• Bupyeong-gu (부평구; 富平區)
• Dong-gu (동구; 東區)
• Gyeyang-gu (계양구; 桂陽區)
• Jung-gu (중구; 中區)
• Nam-gu (남구; 南區)
• Namdong-gu (남동구; 南洞區)
• Seo-gu (서구; 西區)
• Yeonsu-gu (연수구; 延壽區)
• Ganghwa-gun (강화군; 江華郡)
• Ongjin-gun (옹진군; 甕津郡)

Transportation

Ferries connect Incheon with major ports in Northern China.

• Dalian, Dandong in Liaoning Province
• Qingdao, Weihai in Shandong Province
• Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province

Sister cities

• Kitakyushu, Japan

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• List of cities in South Korea
• Battle of Inchon

External links

• Incheon Metropolitan City government website
• Open Directory category