What is an Intercultural City?

An Intercultural City (ICC) is a city where people of diverse nationalities, cultures, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds live together while respecting each other's differences. On July 30, 2025, the city of Gimpo joined the Intercultural Cities Programme (ICC), aiming to embrace diversity as an asset and to become a city where all citizens are equally respected.

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Five Key Strategies for Promoting Gimpo as an Intercultural City

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• Variety
• Interculturality
• Balance
• Equity
• Sustainability

Key Initiatives Related to Gimpo as an Intercultural City

Operation of the Gimpo Intercultural Exchange Center

• Objective: To establish a hub for intercultural exchange where Korean nationals and foreign residents can enhance mutual understanding and communication through the practice of interculturalism, thereby leading social integration as an intercultural city.
• Target Audience: Local citizens, immigrants, and youth with migrant backgrounds
• Operating Hours: Saturday to Thursday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Closed every Friday and Sunday)
• Location: 24-11, Gimpo-daero 2250beon-gil, Tongjin-eup, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do
• Main Programs
  • Support programs to help children of immigrants adapt to Korean society
  • Reading discussion programs and reading lounges for Korean and foreign youth
  • Information sessions on high school and university admissions

Operation of Foreign Resident Communities in Gimpo

• Objective: To enhance the professionalism of community operations and expand the policy participation of foreign residents, thereby establishing a foundation for social integration through communication and cooperation among communities.
• Target Communities: A total of 15 communities, including those from Russia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, and the Jumma Solidarity (refugee community).
• Main Activities
  • Community events such as the Sylhet Community New Year Celebration (Bangladesh), Vietnamese Community Soccer Tournament, and Indigenous Peoples Day Commemoration
  • Cultural experiences for migrant volunteer groups, advisory committee meetings, and consultation activities
  • Support for community events such as the Jumma Boishabi Festival

Gimpo World Integration Festival

• Objective: To promote exchange and mutual understanding among residents of diverse cultural backgrounds, foster community harmony in an inclusive society, and celebrate multiculturalism by experiencing cultures from around the world together with citizens and immigrants.
• Target Audience: Citizens and immigrants (approximately 10,000 participants)
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo City / Gimpo Foreign Residents Support Center, Gimpo Family Center
• Main Events: Parade march, Opening ceremony, Hands-on experiences with traditional clothing, musical instruments, and games, Local food and beverage tasting, Air bounce attractions, Busking performances

Migrant Community Sports Day

• Objective: To foster mutual understanding and stronger bonds among migrants, enhance a sense of community belonging, promote healthy leisure culture through sports activities, and encourage intergenerational communication through family participation.
• Target Participants: Approximately 300 members from various national migrant communities
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo City, Foreign Residents Support Center
• Participating Communities: 15 communities including Vietnam, Russia (Koryo-saram), Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Jumma (refugee community)

Boishabi Festival

• Objective: To preserve the cultural identity of the Jumma community, share their traditional culture with the local society, and promote diversity and inclusion in Gimpo through intercultural exchange.
• Target Audience: Approximately 300 participants, including Jumma community members and Gimpo citizens
• Hosted/Organized by: Jumma People’s Solidarity in Korea / Gyeonggi Province, Gimpo City, Foreign Residents Support Center
• Main Events: Commemorative ceremony, Jumma cultural performances, and sharing of traditional New Year foods

Local Food Sharing Event

• Objective: As part of an intercultural exchange and communication program, this event aims to foster mutual understanding and improve perceptions by cooking and sharing local food together, laying the foundation for social integration.
• Participants: 100 people
• Main Activities: Participants learn to cook and prepare local dishes, then share the meals with invited members of the local community.

Global Human Rights Instructor Training Program

• Objective: To address social issues stemming from the isolation of marriage-based immigrant women and to empower them as active members of the local community by training them as human rights instructors.
• Target Participants: Marriage-based immigrant women
• Main ActivitiesMain Activities
  • Conduct a training program to deepen understanding of various human rights issues and develop the capacity to educate and deliver lectures as qualified human rights instructors
  • Offer global human rights instructor courses and provide multicultural society and human rights education for youth and adults

Multicultural Family Volunteer Group

• Objective: To promote communication with the local community and foster a sense of community through family-based volunteer activities, contributing to social integration.
• Participants: 20 people (marriage-based immigrants and multicultural families)
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo Family Center
• Main Activities: Volunteering at senior welfare centers (meal service), talent sharing, and assisting at childcare support centers

Vocational Training Program for Marriage-Based Immigrants

• Objective: To support marriage-based immigrants in settling stably in Korean society and achieving economic independence by providing practical employment opportunities.
• Participants: 25 marriage-based immigrants
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo Family Center
• Main Activities: Training courses for caregiver certification and multi-skilled accounting clerks

Marriage-Based Immigrant Mentoring Program

• Objective: To help newly arrived marriage-based immigrants settle smoothly into Korean society.
• Participants: 11 mentors (marriage-based immigrants)
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo Family Center
• Main Activities: Appointing mentors with over 3 years of residence and intermediate-level Korean proficiency to support newcomers with daily life tasks such as interpretation at public institutions and counseling

Korean Language Classes for Marriage-Based Immigrants

• Objective: To support adaptation to Korean society and improve daily life convenience through customized Korean language education based on proficiency levels.
• Locations: Family Center (Daegot), Family Center (Gurae), OneLand (Sau-dong)
• Participants: Approximately 800 marriage-based immigrants
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo Family Center
• Main Activities: Providing level-based Korean language education tailored to the needs of marriage-based immigrants

Step-by-Step Settlement Support Package for Marriage-Based Immigrants

• Objective: To help marriage-based immigrants settle stably in Korea by discovering their strengths, understanding Korean workplace culture, and planning their future.
• Participants: 48 marriage-based immigrants residing in Korea for over 5 years
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo Family Center
• Main Activities: Education on understanding Korean workplace culture, parenting education for elementary school parents, and relationship-building programs

Gimpo Intercultural City Forum

• Objective: To officially announce Gimpo’s participation in the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme, promote diversity and social integration within the city, and establish a foundation for the development and implementation of mid- to long-term intercultural strategies.
• Date & Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Venue: 3rd Floor Auditorium, Janggi Library
• Hosted/Organized by: Gimpo City (Department of Family and Culture)
• Participants: 200 attendees including intercultural city experts, related stakeholders, immigrants, and local citizens
• Theme: Full Life Gimpo: Strategies for Coexistence, Mutual Growth, and Innovation Based on Interculturalism

Certificate Award Ceremony for Membership in the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme

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