How Incheon’s ‘Just Dream’ Initiative Provides Emergency Food Aid: A Lifeline for Families in Crisis

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The city of Incheon is moving to expand its Geunyang Dream program to ensure basic food security for vulnerable residents and close gaps in the welfare safety net.

Incheon announced on the 14th that beginning the 15th it will roll out the Basic Food Guarantee (Geunyang Dream) program at seven sites across five districts — Gyeyang, Yeonsu, Bupyeong, Ganghwa and Namdong.

In September, the city plans to extend the program citywide and operate a total of 14 locations.

The Geunyang Dream program supplies food and everyday essentials to residents facing sudden financial hardship due to job loss, illness, or business closure, and connects them to appropriate welfare services through on-site counseling.

Incheon said that 1,019 people used the service during the pilot program, which ran from December through April, and that staff carried out roughly 900 on-site counseling sessions and made 48 referrals to welfare services.

For the full program, the city will address issues identified in the pilot — such as crowding and limited space — by staggering operating hours and better managing user flow to minimize inconvenience.

The program targets residents in urgent livelihood crises; applicants can apply without a separate income or asset assessment. Households are eligible to receive up to five items of food and daily necessities worth up to 20,000 KRW (approximately 15 USD) on as many as three occasions.

After an initial visit, if on-site counseling confirms a crisis, the city will link recipients to welfare services and provide follow-up support coordinated with existing food bank and food market programs.

An Incheon official said the pilot confirmed the policy’s effectiveness and necessity, and that expanding the program will help build a more comprehensive welfare safety net. The official added that the city will work to improve access to welfare services and support households in crisis.

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