Bucheon Institute of City Policy launches, begins full research operations

The Bucheon Institute of City Policy, a policy research body established to support the city's long-term policy development and address key local challenges, officially launched July 1 and began full research operations.

The institute completed its Ministry of Interior and Safety approval and corporate registration procedures in December 2025, then laid its organizational groundwork when Kim Jong-seok took office as president in April.

Through an open recruitment process, the institute selected seven doctoral-level research fellows across six fields — urban planning, transportation, environment, public administration, industry and economy, and culture and tourism — and finalized their appointments that day.

The newly assembled research team will focus on the city's core policy priorities: attracting advanced industries and building a self-sustaining urban base, developing a Bucheon-style youth culture and innovation hub, improving transportation and urban infrastructure, and addressing inequality while advancing a basic social welfare framework.

In July, the institute also plans to conduct field-oriented job training, with researchers visiting key project sites to assess local issues firsthand.

The institute will spend July and August strengthening its research management systems and organizational capacity before holding an opening seminar in September to present its policy research roadmap and future research directions to citizens and experts.

"The launch of the institute marks a new beginning — one where research gives concrete shape to the city's future vision," Kim said. "We will do our utmost to propose practical policy alternatives that genuinely contribute to the city's development by closely linking on-the-ground realities with policy."