Wando-gun Opens 'Mobile County Office' for COVID-19 Response to Hear Residents' Opinions

Discussion on Recovery Plans for Local Economy with Tourism Industry Workers in Cheongsan-myeon

Shin Woo-cheol, Wando County Governor, opened a mobile county office to listen to residents' opinions as the local economy stagnated due to COVID-19. (Photo by Wando County)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando County, Jeollanam-do (Governor Shin Woo-cheol) announced on the 24th that it has been operating the ‘2020 On-site Communication Mobile Governor’s Office’ since the 23rd to gather opinions from passenger shipping companies, guesthouses, pensions, restaurants, and other tourism sector workers in island areas due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

This mobile governor’s office is conducted in the form of meetings with workers in the shipping and tourism industries expected to suffer damage due to administrative orders such as entry restrictions to Wando County’s island areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On the first day of operating the mobile governor’s office, a visit was made to Cheongsan-myeon, which suffered the greatest economic damage due to entry restrictions, where in-depth discussions were held to listen to difficulties and explore measures necessary for the future development of Wando County’s tourism industry.

The main proposals from the conversation with residents included extending the Cheongsando Autumn Foliage Trail project and installing nighttime lighting facilities, expanding the cultivation area of scenic crops such as buckwheat and canola flowers on Cheongsando, and holding seasonal festivals utilizing Cheongsando’s natural resources such as fireflies, the Milky Way, and buckwheat flowers, all aimed at enhancing the tourism image of Cheongsando, Asia’s first Slow City.

Governor Shin Woo-cheol of Wando County first expressed his sincere condolences to the tourism workers of Cheongsan-myeon, who have suffered more mental distress than other towns and townships due to the cancellation of the Slow Walking Festival and entry restrictions.

He continued, “Once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes, the number of people traveling to the region will increase significantly,” and added, “We will do our best to help Cheongsan-myeon establish itself once again as the number one domestic tourist destination by exploring new tourism content utilizing natural resources such as fireflies and the Milky Way, as well as expanding festivals like the buckwheat flower festival.”

In response, residents promised, “We are grateful to the governor for visiting despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation out of concern for the damage to Cheongsan-myeon,” and pledged, “We will actively cooperate with county policies and work together to make Wando a clean area and Cheongsan-myeon the number one tourist destination.”

Meanwhile, the mobile governor’s office, which is held annually by Wando County, conducts meetings with representatives and workers from various sectors to resolve current issues, and especially visits complaint sites and ongoing project locations to promptly resolve complaints and gather diverse voices from the field.

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