Mokpo City Achieves Great Success as One of South Korea's Four Major Tourism Hub Cities

Recognized for Potential as a Global Tourist City, Total Project Cost 100 Billion KRW
Tourism, Energy, and Seafood Industries Complete Foundation for Mokpo's Future 3 Major Strategic Projects

Mokpo City has been selected as one of South Korea's four major tourism hub cities. (Photo by Mokpo City)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Hyeong-seok] Mokpo City announced on the 28th that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has officially designated Mokpo City, Jeonju City, Gangneung City, and Andong City as ‘Korea’s Regional Tourism Hub Cities.’

A ‘Tourism Hub City’ is a project to develop cities with unique regional tourism brands and the potential to leap into global tourism cities into world-class tourist destinations. It is the largest tourism project, investing 100 billion KRW over the next five years per hub city to promote the spread of foreign tourists beyond Seoul and the metropolitan area to local regions.

Mokpo City is known to have received high evaluations for its potential to grow and develop as a global tourism city by utilizing differentiated resources such as various assets and contents representing Korea’s modern historical culture, a city of flavors, a city of artistic tradition, and a slow city, as well as its expandability through cooperation with neighboring cities and counties and its excellent transportation accessibility.

With the selection as a tourism hub city, Mokpo will promote the tourism industry as a national project following the establishment of the seafood export complex and designation as a national energy industry convergence complex, which is expected to further accelerate the development of the three major future strategic industries set as tourism, seafood, and renewable energy.

In particular, since the other competing regions were already recognized as tourism cities domestically and internationally, the persistent efforts of Mayor Kim Jong-sik and related officials to push forward despite difficult conditions are regarded as even more valuable.

Mokpo plans to maximize the city’s differentiated advantages such as modern historical and cultural resources, secure connectivity with various projects the city is promoting, and create a ‘retro-future, romantic tourism city where past, present, and future harmoniously coexist’ through cooperative projects with nine cities and counties in the southwestern coastal area, including Gwangju, making Mokpo a global tourism hub in Korea’s southwestern coastal region.

To this end, the city will transform the modern historical and cultural spaces holding 100 years of history and stories into a world-class mecca for walking tours and nurture Mokpo as a genuine ‘global city of flavors’ through events such as the International Slow Food Festival and Mokpo’s 9 Flavors Glocalization.

Additionally, while strengthening existing content such as the longest-running Mokpo Autumn Festival in Korea, new year-round cultural and artistic festivals like the World Jazz Festival will be held, allowing Korea’s first city of artistic tradition to be reborn as a world-class cultural and artistic city.

Furthermore, the city plans to upgrade the world’s first floating sea fountain facility by installing a water stage and develop Korea’s first integrated cultural content combining sea fountain shows, cultural and artistic performances, and maritime fireworks shows, making it a representative tourism product of Korea.

Samhakdo Island will be developed into a child-friendly themed garden blooming with flowers all year round, and by linking city projects such as tourist cruises and romantic street food stalls, the city will develop stay-type tourism products like island port tours connected to nearby islands, fostering it as a marine tourism hub.

Mayor Kim Jong-sik said, “Although the selection as a tourism hub city was a truly difficult barrier, from the very first stage, we logically highlighted Mokpo’s strengths and fiercely persuaded the decision-makers. There were many tough moments, but we believed in Mokpo’s unique development potential, diverse tangible and intangible tourism resources, and expansion possibilities, and we did not give up but challenged ourselves.”

He added, “I thank the citizens of Mokpo who supported us and also express gratitude to local politicians, including National Assembly member Park Ji-won, who joined forces with us.”

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