Incheon's Namdong National Industrial Complex selected for government culture-led industrial district program

Incheon's Namdong National Industrial Complex has been selected as a site for the government's culture-led industrial district development program, setting the stage for the manufacturing-focused complex to be transformed into a cultural and innovation hub.

Namdong-gu announced Tuesday that, following the complex's selection, it will invest a total of 58.7 billion won ($39 million) from 2026 through 2029 to develop a next-generation industrial district where industry and culture coexist.

The district plans to work with Incheon city, which co-applied for the program, to strengthen the complex's competitiveness and improve living conditions in the surrounding area.

The project focuses on boosting the competitiveness of the aging industrial complex and attracting more young workers to the area.

To that end, the district will carry out five core strategies, 10 priority tasks and 43 detailed projects in phases — covering the renovation of aging factories, the creation of cultural and leisure facilities on idle land and green spaces, the activation of an industrial startup ecosystem, and improvements to the pedestrian environment.

The district aims to reshape the complex from a production-centered zone into a space where manufacturing and culture converge, improving working conditions and injecting new vitality into the local economy.

A key component of the project is the construction of a four-story multipurpose cultural center on part of the Namdong Neighborhood Park site.

The district will oversee both the construction and operation of the facility, which will serve as a combined cultural, recreational and amenity space for workers and residents alike.

"The selection as a culture-led industrial district is an important turning point for Namdong-gu as it leaps forward as a new city where industry and culture are in harmony," Namdong-gu chief Lee Byong-rae said. "We will build a Namdong-style innovation model that raises not only industrial competitiveness but also the quality of life for workers, and develop it into a model case for industrial cities across the country."

Meanwhile, the district plans to pursue the project as a centerpiece of its ninth-term administrative vision — "The Great Namdong Transformation That Changes My Life" — and concentrate its administrative resources on laying a sustainable growth foundation for the industrial complex.