Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that it was selected as the only metropolitan-level government among the nation's cities and provinces to be named an excellent local government in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2025-2026 Winter Welfare Crisis Household Identification and Support' evaluation, earning a Minister of Health and Welfare institutional citation. It became the first recipient of the newly created 'metropolitan government citation,' with Incheon's Yeonsu-gu (연수구) and Namdong-gu (남동구) also receiving ministerial citations.
 [코리안투데이] Groceries are being provided to food-insecure residents through the Geunyang Deurim (그냥드림, "Just Give") program. © 김현수 기자 |
Proactively Identifying Crisis Households Using Big Data and AI
Incheon City combined big data from its 'Haengbogieum' (행복이음, Happiness Connect) system with artificial intelligence (AI) technology to proactively detect signs of crisis, conducting a full survey and initial counseling for roughly 25,000 people and connecting them with welfare services.
By running Incheon-specific welfare programs with relaxed eligibility criteria compared to national systems—such as the Didimdol Stability Income (디딤돌 안정소득) and SOS Emergency Welfare (SOS 긴급복지)—the city provided additional support to more than 2,600 crisis households last winter alone.
The city worked to identify crisis households in cooperation with a private welfare safety net of about 15,000 people, including honorary social welfare officers and local social security councils, and also carried out on-site patrols and supply distribution to protect homeless individuals and residents of jjokbang (쪽방, cramped rooming houses) during the winter.
Public-Private Cooperation Achievements, Including 'Ondongne Hope Keepers' and 'Geunyang Deurim'
Together with the Community Chest of Incheon (인천시 사회복지공동모금회) and local social security councils, the city ran the 'Ondongne Hope Keepers' (온(溫)동네 희망지킴이) program to identify and support crisis households outside the formal welfare system, assisting about 190 households, and provided grocery support and counseling referrals to roughly 800 people facing food insecurity through the Geunyang Deurim program.
The Community Chest of Incheon's 'Hope 2026 Sharing Campaign' (희망2026나눔캠페인) exceeded its original target of 10.88 billion won (108억 8천만 원) by 102%.
Yeonsu-gu and Namdong-gu Also Honored for Close-Knit Public-Private Cooperation
Yeonsu-gu (연수구) drew attention for operating the KakaoTalk channel 'Yeonsu-ya Help Me Talk-Talk' (연수야 도와줘 톡톡), running the 'Yeonsu Hope Keeper Action Stores' (연수희망지기 행동상점) program in partnership with convenience stores and real estate agencies, and introducing Incheon's first donation kiosk.
Namdong-gu (남동구) received high marks for its 'Worry-Solving Project' (걱정해결사업) run jointly with Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance (메리츠화재), the 'Warm Winter' (따뜻한 겨울나기) program with ChildFund Korea (초록우산 어린이재단), and the 'Huimangchan (希望饌) Sharing Project,' which uses surplus school meals to provide side dishes.
Park Seong-sun (박성순), head of Incheon's Welfare Policy Division, said, "This award is a meaningful achievement made possible by the wholehearted cooperation of Incheon City, its districts and counties, local residents, and private organizations in building a close-knit welfare safety net." He added, "We will continue to strengthen field-oriented emergency relief systems and human safety networks to identify and support crisis households."
[ Reporter Kim Hyun-soo ] incheoneast@thekoreantoday.com
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