'Ecological Stream Restoration': Incheon's Gulpo Stream Named Nation's Best Small-Stream Maintenance Case

Incheon City said on the 28th that its Gulpo Stream ecological restoration project in Bupyeong-gu, completed at the end of 2025, was selected as the nation’s top case in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “2026 Outstanding Cases in Small Stream Maintenance” competition.

The competition was held to identify and share successful cases involving small streams whose maintenance was completed within the past five years, with the aim of ensuring reliable flood control and improving residents’ living environments. After applications were received from local governments across the country, entries went through a first-round document review and a second-round site inspection. Bupyeong-gu was selected as an outstanding institution and will receive a commendation from the Minister of the Interior and Safety.

Gulpo Stream in Incheon, restored as an ecological stream. Provided by Incheon City.

Gulpo Stream was covered during the urbanization process in the 1990s, losing its original function. Incheon City launched the city’s first stream restoration project to bring it back as a natural, water-friendly ecological space.

The city invested a total of 66.6 billion won in a four-year stream restoration project along a 1.5-kilometer stretch from the Bupyeong 1-dong Administrative Welfare Center to Bupyeong-gu Office. With the project completed at the end of 2025, clean stream water once again flowed through the channel, which had been trapped beneath concrete structures for 30 years.

An Incheon City official said, “Being selected as the nation’s top case is the result of the city and Bupyeong-gu’s multifaceted efforts to restore Gulpo Stream. We will work to expand pleasant waterfront spaces that residents can enjoy in their everyday lives.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.