Jeonnam Province Selects Jindo Geumhodo and Wando Geumdangdo for 'Islands You Want to Visit Development Project'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 18th that Jindo Geumhodo and Wando Geumdangdo were finally selected in next year’s “Islands You Want to Visit Development Project” contest.

The two selected islands will discover content that utilizes the unique characteristics of the islands, and will promote island landscape improvement, including the creation of parks, trails, and observatories, remodeling of village halls, and resident capacity-building education.

The project budget will be supported with 5 billion KRW each over five years (1 billion KRW annually) starting next year for each island.

In this contest, eight islands from five cities and counties in the province applied. During September, evaluation committee members composed of island experts comprehensively assessed the islands’ unique ecological resources, attractive island culture, suitability, creativity, feasibility of the project, linkage with other projects, resident participation, and the willingness of city and county governments to promote the project, ultimately selecting two islands.

Jindo Geumhodo is an island with 36 households and 67 residents, rich in marine resources such as anchovies, abalone, clams, seaweed, and sea mustard.

The island is known for the natural antibacterial components (cineole, cymene, etc.) of the “Saengdal tree” that grows in clusters on the island, which are said to be effective in treating atopic dermatitis, making it a potential medical experience tourism resource.

Additionally, there are ample elements to combine fishing and tourism, such as the Seodang (traditional village school) experience at “Gwanhaejeong,” where the late Joseon Confucian scholar Mukjae Jeong Min-ik taught his disciples, the Bongosan trail, the mysterious sea road, and the silver anchovy experience. Being close to the mainland, it has high potential to develop into an experiential tourism destination frequently visited by families.

Wando Geumdangdo is home to 538 households and 987 residents, with the island’s slopes formed by rocky cliffs.

It boasts beautiful natural scenery including the Geumdang Eight Views formed by mysterious rock formations and stunning coastal cliffs shaped over tens of thousands of years by waves and wind, as well as the Sepo Observatory and coastal loop road.

In particular, “Geumdang Byeolgok,” a marine travel poem lyrically expressing the emotions and thoughts of Wi Se-jik, a scholar who studied under Song Si-yeol in the late Joseon period and toured Geumdangdo, was highly evaluated as a cultural resource with diverse storytelling potential.

Wi Gwang-hwan, Director of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Jeonnam Province, said, “The two islands selected as targets for next year’s Islands You Want to Visit project will receive not only budget support but also consulting for basic plan establishment, formation of promotion committees, and resident capacity-building education. Through the full-scale island development project, we will create beautiful ecological tourism destinations that both domestic and foreign visitors want to visit frequently.”

Meanwhile, the “Islands You Want to Visit” project started with six islands in its first year in 2015, and since then two islands have been added annually, totaling 16 islands selected up to this year, of which nine islands have been opened to tourists.

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