Incheon’s Island Count Finalized at 197, Including 157 Uninhabited Islands

Incheon has finalized its island count at 197 after resolving years of discrepancies between government and institutional statistics.

The total includes 40 inhabited islands and 157 uninhabited islands. Incheon had previously managed a count of 168 islands, including 128 uninhabited ones, while the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries listed 152 uninhabited islands. The conflicting figures created administrative confusion for marine policy and resource planning.

To settle the numbers, the city compared its own records with the ministry’s uninhabited-island information system. Officials first checked basic details such as duplicate parcel numbers, then carried out a full review of geographic information system coordinates based on each island’s latitude and longitude.

The process identified 29 uninhabited islands missing from the city’s management list. It also found five islands managed by Incheon but absent from the ministry’s system, prompting the city to request their addition to the central government’s records. Officials said the revised database will support island conservation and management policies, as well as marine and tourism development plans.