Gyeongbuk Province Details Development Strategy for 5 East Coast Cities and Counties Linked to 'Integrated New Airport'

Sky and Sea Route Connection... Integrated New Airport-Yeongilman Port as the Two Major Logistics Axes of Gyeongbuk

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Gyeongbuk Province, which succeeded in attracting the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport, is concretizing development strategies for five East Coast cities and counties (Pohang, Gyeongju, Uljin, Yeongdeok, Ulleung) centered on Yeongilman Port, where the international passenger pier will be completed in October this year to link air and sea routes.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 23rd, they are promoting the establishment of a regular car ferry route to expand cargo volume along with the timely completion of the Yeongilman Port hinterland complex. They also plan to focus on securing import and export cargo volume through inland logistics linkage using the inbound railway that has been in operation since this year.

Gyeongbuk Province will conduct sales targeting Daegu and Gyeongbuk companies to secure import and export cargo volume, and plans to promote research for pioneering the Arctic route and linking with the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR).

Through this, the integrated new airport and Yeongilman Port are expected by Gyeongbuk Province to become logistics hubs in the new northern East Sea era. To globalize East Coast marine tourism, the longest domestic Gyeongbuk National Trail connecting 17 cities and counties in Daegu and Gyeongbuk (including Dalseong-gun, Daegu) will be created, starting from the integrated new airport.

They will establish a basic plan for marine leisure tourism covering the five East Coast cities and counties and conduct a feasibility study for designating a complex leisure hub district. Together with the Gyeongbuk Cultural Tourism Corporation, they plan to create distinctive marine tourism products appealing to foreigners, such as marine leisure, surfing, and cruises, linked with the integrated new airport.

They will also lay the institutional foundation for smooth project progress. By enacting the "East Coast Region Development Basic Ordinance" (tentative name), they will prepare administrative and financial support grounds for various projects and seek development and linkage plans for the East Coast region led by local residents in connection with the integrated new airport.

The nuclear cluster project will also proceed without setbacks. The Innovative Nuclear Technology Research Institute, planned to be built in Gyeongju with an investment of 720 billion KRW, has completed the industrial complex designation approval, and the full-scale project will proceed after passing the preliminary feasibility study next year. The Heavy Water Reactor Decommissioning Technology Institute, with an investment of 72.3 billion KRW and scheduled for completion in 2024, completed its corporate establishment in August and will start construction next year after a design competition.

Additionally, they plan to attract national institutions and facilities in the marine energy sector suited to the characteristics of the five East Coast cities and counties. Pohang will promote the Homigot National Marine Garden and the National Geological and Planetary Science Education Center; Gyeongju, the National Nuclear Energy Future Center; Uljin, the Marine Healing Center; Yeongdeok, the National Marine Species Restoration Center and the Fisheries Food Export Processing Cluster; and Ulleung, the National Dokdo Archive Center and UNESCO World Natural Heritage registration.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, "Taking the relocation of the integrated new airport as an opportunity, a new wide-area design linking air-port and sea-port is necessary," adding, "We will prepare so that the integrated new airport becomes a catalyst for the development of the East Coast region through discovering linkage projects, enacting the East Coast Region Development Basic Ordinance, and forming a committee."

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