Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae has launched the first organizational restructuring of his administration, aiming to build the institutional foundation needed to deliver on his core campaign pledges.
The overhaul is designed to support the city's new policy directions: fostering AI, biotech, content and energy industries; revitalizing older urban districts; responding to the climate crisis; and expanding transportation infrastructure.
The city announced Thursday that it has drawn up a restructuring plan reflecting the ninth directly elected administration's governing priorities, and will seek to amend the relevant municipal ordinances with a target of implementing the changes in August.
The plan focuses on accelerating the fulfillment of campaign pledges and improving administrative efficiency, based on recommendations from the mayoral transition committee.
The most significant change is the creation of a Policy Coordination Bureau dedicated to Park's signature "ABC+E" strategy.
The new bureau will oversee the city's core policy agenda and track progress on campaign pledges, while also coordinating policy across departments.
A new bureau will also be established to drive the revitalization of older urban districts. The Old Town Innovation Bureau will take charge of the "Jemunbu Project" — a regeneration initiative centered on the Jemulpo, Munhak and Bupyeong areas — and will lead urban renewal and balanced development projects tailored to each district's characteristics.
A Climate and Energy Bureau will be set up to handle the city's response to the climate crisis, taking charge of carbon neutrality policy, renewable energy expansion and air quality improvement.
The transportation sector will also be reorganized along more specialized lines. The existing Transportation Bureau will be split into a Transportation Policy Bureau, handling day-to-day traffic administration that directly affects residents, and a Rail and Road Bureau responsible for expanding infrastructure such as railways and roads.
The city's management structure will also change. The position currently titled Vice Mayor for Global City Affairs will be renamed Vice Mayor for Balanced Development and will oversee six units: the Old Town Innovation Bureau, the Urban Planning Bureau, the Urban Balance Bureau, the Health and Welfare Bureau, the Women and Family Bureau, and the Integrated Care Bureau.
The restructured vice mayoral role will cover not only balanced urban development but also welfare and care policy.
The Livelihood Planning Office and the Global City Bureau will be abolished, while the Administrative System Reform Task Force will be scaled down from a bureau-level to a division-level unit.
The Future Industries Bureau will be elevated to the Future Industries Headquarters to strengthen its role in fostering advanced and biotech industries. The Economic Industries Headquarters will be reorganized into an Economy Bureau with a sharper focus on stimulating the local economy.
The restructuring will expand the city's organizational structure from the current 1 office, 17 bureaus, 3 headquarters, 1 task force and 115 divisions to 1 office, 19 bureaus, 3 headquarters and 119 divisions. The authorized civil servant headcount will increase by 102, from 7,600 to 7,702.
Within the fire department, a new Health, Safety and Welfare Division will be created to handle health care, psychological counseling and welfare support for firefighters.
"This restructuring is significant because it lays the administrative groundwork for swiftly advancing the core policies of the ninth directly elected administration," Park said. "We will create changes that citizens can feel through results-oriented organizational management."
The city plans to submit proposed amendments to the ordinances governing administrative bodies and civil servant headcounts to the Incheon City Council. The restructuring is expected to be completed in August after council review.
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
