Coffee Breaks Will Be Possible at Incheon Urban Parks... Councilman Jeong Jong-hyuk Proposes Ordinance Allowing Limited Commercial Activities

In the future, limited commercial activities are expected to be possible at public interest events or cultural performances held in urban parks in Incheon. With the partial lifting of the strict ban on commercial activities within parks, the convenience for citizens is expected to improve significantly.

According to the Incheon City Council's Industry and Economy Committee on the 29th, the 'Partial Amendment to the Incheon Metropolitan City Urban Parks and Green Spaces Ordinance' proposed by Councilman Jeong Jong-hyuk (Democratic Party, Seo-gu 1) has passed the committee review.

The core of this amendment is to allow commercial activities for public interest purposes within the scope of maintaining the public nature of urban parks.

Specifically, commercial activities that occur in conjunction with events hosted by the state, local governments, or public institutions, or cultural and artistic events supported by these institutions, are included in the permitted activities. Until now, even simple food and beverage sales were difficult at events held in parks, causing inconvenience for visitors, which is expected to be resolved with this ordinance amendment.

However, the city council has also established safeguards to prevent the inherent relaxation function of parks from being compromised due to indiscriminate commercial activities.

The ordinance specifies that Incheon City must establish detailed guidelines regarding the scope and target of events. Additionally, during the implementation process, the plan is to gather opinions from local residents to minimise inconveniences such as noise and waste issues.

Councilman Jeong Jong-hyuk stated, "This ordinance amendment reflects the cultural needs of citizens and the voices from the field while not undermining the management function of urban parks," and emphasised, "I hope the parks become vibrant spaces that naturally blend into the daily lives of citizens."

The ordinance is scheduled to be finally voted on at the 5th plenary session of the '306th Extraordinary Session' to be held on the 12th of next month.