Incheon Metropolitan City has been named the top-performing institution for the fourth consecutive year in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) local government innovation evaluation, marking the first time a metropolitan government has achieved four straight first-place finishes nationwide. The city has established itself as a leading innovator since claiming the top spot among metropolitan governments every year from 2022 through last year.
According to MOIS and the Incheon city government on Thursday, the key driver behind the four consecutive wins is the "One Thousand Won Policy Series." The city deployed a concentrated set of policies that lowered costs across housing, logistics, culture, meals and transportation, including One Thousand Won Housing, One Thousand Won Delivery, One Thousand Won Culture Ticket, One Thousand Won Breakfast and i-Bada Pass. Rather than simple cash handouts, the approach reduces the cost of using public services itself. The structure ensures residents' real living expenses decrease each time they use a service. MOIS gave high marks to this aspect.
The city's digital administrative transformation also delivered results. Artificial intelligence-based services expanded, including a 24-hour civil complaint chatbot, local tax payment notification service and automatic tax reduction system. Administrative services that once required residents to visit offices in person have shifted to a model where services proactively reach citizens.
Incheon's innovation has evolved in stages over four years. In 2022, the city laid the groundwork for administrative trust with "119 Eum-Call" and the conversion of non-tax revenue payments to electronic processing. The following year, it improved welfare delivery through the "Inpum Self-Reliance Youth Support Program" targeting youth aging out of the protection system. Last year, it focused on resolving everyday inconveniences with "Half-Price Delivery for Small Business Owners" and "One Island, One Resident Physician."
Incheon was also selected as a mentor institution for MOIS's "Institutional Innovation Mentoring Program" in June last year. The city is currently sharing best innovation practices, evaluation response strategies and policy development know-how with 14 basic local governments nationwide.
"Innovation in local administration ultimately depends on how much it changes the lives of residents," Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said. "Trust in government starts not with grand policies but with small changes that citizens can actually feel."