Incheon Station Square, Gateway to Historic Open Port, to Shed Aging Facilities and Get a Makeover

[Financial News, Incheon = Reporter Han Gap-su] Incheon Station Square, the gateway to Jemulpo Open Port, which symbolizes Incheon's modern history as an open port, will undergo a major renovation of its aging facilities. Although Incheon Station is the first place many tourists encounter, complaints have continued that sunken sidewalks, damaged facilities and cracked walls were being left unattended, reinforcing the old and worn image of the city center.  
In particular, the area around Incheon Station Square is a major tourist route linking Chinatown, Jemulpo Open Port and Sangsang Platform, as well as an everyday passageway for local residents. Because it is both the place that shapes tourists' first impression of Incheon and a daily living space for residents, calls have grown for improvements that go beyond simple beautification to address the pedestrian environment and urban management.
The project will use KRW 235 million in remaining funds from the "Open Port Landmark Infrastructure Development" project budgeted in 2025. National Assembly member Heo Jong-sik proposed the project to Incheon Metropolitan City's Jemulpo Innovation Division, and it moved forward after the city incorporated the proposal. The renovation will cover the area from the disused rail line section, through the Sangsang Platform intersection, to Incheon Station Square.
The area currently suffers from aging facilities, including sunken sidewalk blocks, damaged flower beds and benches, and cracks in the walls around the Incheon Station building. The renovation will be carried out with roles divided among the participating agencies.
Incheon Metropolitan City will repave the area from the Sangsang Platform intersection to Incheon Station Square and create a rest area in the square. Beyond simply replacing the pavement, the city is also considering designs that guide visitors to major tourist destinations such as Jemulpo Open Port and Sangsang Platform, along with symbolic patterns reflecting Incheon's identity.
Jemulpo District will repair the flower beds, curbs and side drains in the square and relocate streetlights and floodlights. It also plans to improve visibility and create a photo zone with a traditional Chinese gate on Chinatown's main street as the backdrop. KORAIL will repaint the aging Incheon Station building and repair and reinforce its retaining walls and surrounding walls.
The project will proceed through a series of steps, beginning this month with a request for and signing of a contract for the detailed design service, followed by a request for a construction contract in December. Construction will then be carried out after the winter season, with work scheduled to begin and be completed in early February 2027.
The project is also significant because it will renovate the facilities around Incheon Station, which have been managed separately by different agencies, as a single space. The initiative aims to address through collaboration the difficulty of achieving comprehensive environmental improvements when the square, roads and facilities around the station have fallen under the jurisdiction of different agencies.
National Assembly member Heo Jong-sik said, "Although Incheon Station Square is an important space that determines the first impression of Jemulpo Open Port, aging facilities have caused considerable inconvenience. We will work closely with Incheon Metropolitan City to steadily pursue small projects so that residents of the old city center can feel the changes in their daily lives, and we will continue identifying practical initiatives to revitalize the old city center."

[email protected] Han Gap-su Reporter