City Asia
Incheon
Incheon is a big port city in South Korea, close to Seoul. It has an international airport by the sea.
Incheon is a port city near the mouth of the Han River, 35 kilometers from Seoul, Universalis says. It is South Korea's third-largest city, and its airport, opened in 2001, also serves Seoul. Korea's 2025 census counted 3,093,590 people in Incheon Metropolitan City.
Incheon, near the mouth of the Han and 35 km from Seoul, has been one of South Korea's metropolitan cities (with the status of a province) since 1981 (Universalis). Register-based census of 1 November 2025: 3,093,590 in Incheon Metropolitan City, third in the country after Seoul and Busan.
Photo: Maarten Heerlien from Voorschoten, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Incheon
Incheon is a big city by the sea in South Korea. It is close to Seoul, the capital.
Only two cities in South Korea have more people than Incheon.
Incheon lies near the mouth of the Han River, 35 kilometers from Seoul, Universalis says. Since 1981 it has been one of South Korea's metropolitan cities, which have the same status as a province.
Korea's census of 1 November 2025 counted 3,093,590 people in Incheon Metropolitan City. Only Seoul and Busan had more.
Universalis: situated near the mouth of the Han, 35 km from Seoul; since 1981 one of South Korea's metropolitan cities, that is, with the status of a province and answering directly to the Ministry of the Interior; 2,531,000 inhabitants in 2005, the country's third city and third port.
Censuses via City Population (Incheon Metropolitan City, 1 November; register-based since 2015): 2,945,454 (2020), 3,093,590 (2025); rank 3 in 2025, after Seoul (9,315,066) and Busan (3,235,362).
- Country
- South Korea (a metropolitan city since 1981, with the status of a province)
- People in Incheon Metropolitan City (census, 1 November 2025)
- 3,093,590
- Rank
- South Korea's third-largest city in the 2025 census, after Seoul and Busan
- Distance to Seoul
- 35 kilometers (Universalis)
An airport by the sea
This photo was taken from high in the sky. You can see an airport with long, straight runways, with the sea and small green islands all around it.
This photo shows Incheon International Airport from the air on 27 April 2024. Long, straight runways cross flat land beside the sea, with big buildings between them. Small green islands lie in the water behind it.
Wikidata gives the airport's opening date as 29 March 2001. Universalis says that since 2001 Incheon's new airport has served Seoul as well as Incheon.
Commons: Flickr photo 'Japan_20240427_IMG_0360' by Maarten Heerlien, CC BY 2.0, taken 27 April 2024 (07:46); Commons editors file it under 'Aerial photographs of Incheon International Airport' (the Flickr title names the photographer's trip, and the Flickr map point is not the place).
Wikidata: Incheon International Airport (Q20932), an international airport in Incheon, opened 29 March 2001, 18.49 km W of the city point. Universalis: since 2001 the new airport also serves Seoul.
- Photo
- Incheon International Airport seen from the air, 27 April 2024
- Incheon International Airport
- opened on 29 March 2001 (Wikidata)
- Who it serves
- Incheon and also Seoul, since 2001 (Universalis)
An open port
Long ago, Incheon became a port where ships from other countries could come to trade. Much later, it became one of South Korea's biggest cities.
Universalis says Incheon's port began to grow in 1876, when it became one of Korea's three 'open ports' for international trade.
The city's first factories came during the years of Japanese rule, from 1910 to 1945. In 1981 Incheon became one of South Korea's metropolitan cities, and in 2001 its new airport opened.
Universalis: port activities developed from 1876, when Inchon became one of Korea's three 'open ports' of international trade; the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) brought a first generation of industries; since 1981 one of the metropolitan cities. Wikidata dates the international airport's opening to 29 March 2001.
- 1876
- port activity grew from 1876, when Incheon became one of Korea's three 'open ports' for international trade (Universalis)
- 1910–1945
- under Japanese rule; the first generation of industries came in this period (Universalis)
- 1981
- became one of South Korea's metropolitan cities (Universalis)
Port, roads, rails and a long bridge
Ships bring goods to Incheon's port for the big city of Seoul. Roads and trains join the two cities, and a very long bridge crosses the sea.
Universalis says Incheon serves as the port for Seoul, and the two cities are linked by a motorway and a railway.
Wikidata lists Incheon Bridge, opened on 19 October 2009, with a length of 12,500 meters: that is twelve and a half kilometers across the water.
Universalis: Incheon serves as the port of the capital, to which it is linked by motorway and railway; in 2005 it was the country's third port.
Wikidata (from the city point Q20934): Port of Incheon (Q16099490), 'port in South Korea', 2.13 km WSW; Incheon Bridge (Q483949), length 12,500 m, opened 19 October 2009, 9.12 km SW; Incheon International Airport (Q20932) 18.49 km W.
- Port for the capital
- linked to Seoul by motorway and railway (Universalis)
- Port of Incheon
- a port in South Korea, about 2.1 km from the city's Wikidata point (Wikidata)
- Incheon Bridge
- 12,500 m long, opened 19 October 2009 (Wikidata)
Cold winters and a very wet July
Incheon has cold winters and warm summers. July is the rainiest month by far.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's world averages for Incheon for 1991 to 2020 show a cold winter: January averages −1.4 °C. August is the warmest month, at 25.9 °C.
July is by far the wettest month, with 342.1 millimeters of rain, while January gets only 12.5 millimeters. Adding up all twelve months gives about 1,158 millimeters in a year.
Japan Meteorological Agency world normals, Incheon (station 47112, 37.48° N 126.62° E, 69 m; normals period 1991–2020 per JMA's index): monthly mean temperature −1.4 °C (Jan), 0.9, 6.0, 11.8, 17.1, 21.5, 24.6, 25.9 (Aug), 21.8, 15.5, 8.1, 0.8 (Dec). Precipitation 12.5 mm (Jan) to 342.1 mm (Jul); August 212.2 mm, September 141.7 mm; sum of the twelve monthly normals 1,157.5 mm (JMA gives no annual figure on this page). July alone brings about 30% of the year's total. No daily highs and lows in this table.
- Average temperature (JMA, Incheon, 1991–2020)
- −1.4 °C (January) to 25.9 °C (August)
- Wettest month (same table)
- July, 342.1 mm
- Rain and snow in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 1,158 mm
Factories and a port
Incheon has many kinds of factories and one of South Korea's biggest ports. Ships carry goods in and out for Incheon and for Seoul.
Universalis says Incheon's first factories included rice mills, wood industries and chemical works. After the end of the Korean War, metalworking, petrochemical, machine-building, steel and glass industries were added.
In 2005 Incheon was South Korea's third port as well as its third city. Universalis adds that being so close to Seoul has held back Incheon's own development.
Universalis: a first generation of industries (rice mills, wood industries, chemical industries), completed since the end of the Korean War by metallurgical, petrochemical, mechanical and steel industries, glassworks and others; in 2005 the country's third city and third port, serving as the port of the capital; its proximity to Seoul has harmed its development.
- First factories
- rice mills, wood industries and chemical industries (Universalis)
- Later industries
- metalworking, petrochemicals, machinery, steel and glass, among others (Universalis)
- Port
- South Korea's third port in 2005 (Universalis)
Incheon on the map
Find South Korea on the globe. Incheon is on its west coast, near Seoul.
Incheon lies at about 37.5° north and 126.6° east, near the mouth of the Han River and 35 kilometers from Seoul.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the Port of Incheon is about 2.1 kilometers west-southwest, Songdo about 8.8 kilometers south, Incheon Bridge about 9.1 kilometers southwest and Incheon International Airport about 18.5 kilometers west.
Incheon lies at about 37.46° N and 126.65° E (Wikidata point Q20934; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 1.74 km from it). From the Wikidata point: Port of Incheon (Q16099490) 2.13 km WSW; Songdo (Q488965, a district of Incheon) 8.78 km S; Incheon Bridge (Q483949) 9.12 km SW; Incheon International Airport (Q20932) 18.49 km W. Universalis: near the mouth of the Han, 35 km from Seoul.
- Latitude
- about 37.5° north
- Longitude
- about 126.6° east
- River
- near the mouth of the Han (Universalis)
Amazing facts
-
Incheon's airport also helps people fly to and from Seoul, the capital!
Universalis says that since 2001 Incheon's new airport has served Seoul as well as Incheon.
Universalis: since 2001 Incheon's new airport also serves Seoul; Wikidata dates its opening to 29 March 2001.
-
Incheon Bridge is twelve and a half kilometers long!
Wikidata gives Incheon Bridge a length of 12,500 meters, or 12.5 kilometers, and an opening date of 19 October 2009.
Wikidata: Incheon Bridge (Q483949), length 12,500 m, opened 19 October 2009.
-
In Incheon, July gets much more rain than January.
In the Japan Meteorological Agency's averages, July brings Incheon 342.1 millimeters of rain, about 27 times January's 12.5 millimeters.
JMA world normals for Incheon (1991–2020): July 342.1 mm, January 12.5 mm, a ratio of about 27.4.
Words to know
- port
- a town or place by the water where ships load and unload
- metropolitan city
- in South Korea, a very big city that is run like a province
- province
- one of the large areas that a country is divided into
- runway
- a long, flat strip where airplanes take off and land
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Which big city is close to Incheon?
Incheon lies 35 kilometers from which city?
According to Universalis, Incheon lies 35 km from which capital city?
- Seoul
- Tokyo
- Beijing
Show the answer
Seoul
Seoul!
Seoul.
Seoul.
-
Incheon is near the mouth of which river?
Incheon lies near the mouth of which river?
Universalis places Incheon near the mouth of which river?
- The Han
- The Nile
- The Danube
Show the answer
The Han
The Han!
The Han River.
The Han.
-
In which year did Incheon's big airport open?
In which year did Incheon International Airport open?
Wikidata gives which opening year for Incheon International Airport?
- 2001
- 1981
- 2025
Show the answer
2001
2001!
2001.
2001 (29 March).
-
How many cities in South Korea have more people than Incheon?
In the 2025 census, how many South Korean cities had more people than Incheon?
In the 2025 census, how many South Korean cities ranked above Incheon in population?
- Two
- None
- Ten
Show the answer
Two
Two: Seoul and Busan!
Two: Seoul and Busan.
Two (Seoul, Busan); Incheon ranked third.
-
Which month is the rainiest in Incheon?
In the Japan Meteorological Agency's averages, which month gets the most rain in Incheon?
JMA world normals for Incheon (1991–2020): which month has the highest precipitation, 342.1 mm?
- July
- January
- October
Show the answer
July
July!
July.
July (342.1 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Incheon on the west coast of South Korea, near Seoul and the mouth of the Han River.
- Explain why a big capital city may use a port and an airport in a nearby city.
- Describe how a port city's industries can change over time.
- Read a climate table with a very wet summer month.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a capital city use a port in another city?
- What does an airport need: why might it be built by the sea?
- How would a very rainy month change everyday life?
Try at home or in class
- Rain bars: make a bar chart of Incheon's monthly rain and find the wettest month.
- Bridge walk: Incheon Bridge is 12,500 m long. If you walk 5 km in an hour, how long would it take to walk that far?
- Map trip: on a map of South Korea, draw a line 35 km from Seoul to the coast and mark Incheon.
Key vocabulary: port, metropolitan city, province, runway, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Inchon , Encyclopædia Universalis
- South Korea: Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Statistics Korea
- Incheon: monthly normals (1991–2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- World normals by region and country (normals period 1991-2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- File:Japan 2024-04-27 (53893042683).jpg (Maarten Heerlien, April 2024) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.