Marine Healing Centers to Be Built in Wando, Taean, Uljin, and Goseong... Total Investment of 140 Billion Won

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Establishes and Announces 'Marine Healing Industry Revitalization Plan'

Examples of domestic marine healing programs. From left to right: mudflat exercise, marine climate therapy, seaweed pack.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The government has decided to build marine healing centers in four locations: Jeonnam (Wando), Chungnam (Taean), Gyeongbuk (Uljin), and Gyeongnam (Goseong). Centered around these marine healing centers, the plan is to attract hospitals, bio companies, resorts, and more through private investment to develop these areas into hubs for the marine healing industry.

On the 15th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the "Plan to Revitalize the Marine Healing Industry" containing these details.

Marine healing refers to activities that utilize marine resources such as tidal flats, saline groundwater, and marine organisms to promote physical and mental health. Overseas countries like Germany, France, and Japan have already developed their marine healing industries. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Germany’s healing industry market, including marine healing, reaches approximately 45 trillion KRW and creates about 450,000 related jobs.

Previously, to foster the domestic marine healing industry, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries conducted research from 2017 to 2019 in collaboration with four local governments possessing excellent marine healing resources: Jeonnam (Wando), Chungnam (Taean), Gyeongbuk (Uljin), and Gyeongnam (Goseong). Based on this, the draft bill for the "Act on the Management and Utilization of Marine Healing Resources" passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 9th. Accordingly, the Ministry established this revitalization plan as a mid- to long-term strategy to actively promote the marine healing industry.

First, marine healing centers will be constructed in four locations: Wando in Jeonnam, Taean in Chungnam, Uljin in Gyeongbuk, and Goseong in Gyeongnam. A total construction budget of 140 billion KRW will be invested, with 35 billion KRW allocated per center.

Each hub will be developed as a differentiated leading case. Wando will be developed as a "sports rehabilitation type," leveraging abundant seafood such as abalone and seaweed and marine bio infrastructure; Taean will be a "leisure complex type," targeting weekend family visitors by capitalizing on accessibility to the metropolitan area; Uljin will be a "mid- to long-term stay type," linked with hot spring zones and forest resources; and Goseong will be a "corporate-linked type," aimed at workers in nearby large industrial complexes. Through the construction of these marine healing centers, the Ministry plans to achieve by 2024 ▲1 million cumulative marine healing experience participants ▲1,900 jobs created in coastal areas ▲270 billion KRW in annual production inducement effects.

In addition to the marine healing hubs, fishing villages with excellent marine healing environments, designated under the Fishing Village New Deal 300 project and fishing experience villages, will be designated as marine healing-specialized fishing villages to create regionally self-sustaining healing spaces. Furthermore, health promotion programs utilizing marine healing will be provided to residents of coastal and fishing village areas, and healing content linked to local welfare projects will also be developed.

The Ministry will also build a marine healing industry ecosystem. By utilizing new technologies such as information and communication technology (ICT), the Internet of Things (IoT), and virtual reality (VR), it plans to implement "smart marine healing" that is not affected by location or season. Additionally, it will support the development, patenting, and certification of marine healing-related products such as seawater healing pools and marine resource processing and storage facilities, and discover and nurture startups in the marine healing field, including healthcare-related marine bio companies.

Long-term measures will be explored to apply public and private insurance to expand marine healing demand, alongside promotional activities such as operating marine healing experience groups. The Ministry also plans to attract tourists from China and Southeast Asia, where interest in health management and beauty is increasing with rising income levels.

To establish the industrial foundation early, the Ministry will prepare subordinate legislation under the Marine Healing Act to set standards and procedures for designating marine healing districts and certification criteria for marine healing programs, and designate and operate policy support organizations. It will also promote the training of professionals and the establishment of qualification systems for providing marine healing services, operate pilot educational institutions, and expand local workforce recruitment.

Alongside this, based on various studies that have proven healing effects, the Ministry will investigate the distribution, resource volume, and utilization potential of eight marine healing resources such as saline groundwater, mud, and seaweed, and build a healing resource database (DB). It will also continuously verify the effects and safety of marine healing resources through clinical trials and prepare guidelines on resource supply methods and post-treatment.

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