Wando Sinji Myeongsasimni Selected as an 'Excellent Beach'

Highly Praised for Operating the 3-Stage Quarantine System to Prevent COVID-19 Spread

National Funding of 100 Million Won and Ministerial Commendation Awarded

Scenery of Wando Sinji Myeongsasipri Beach (Photo by Wando-gun)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Wando Sinji Myeongsashilli Beach was selected as an excellent beach in the 2020 National Beach Operation Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries for its response to COVID-19 and other factors.

According to Wando County on the 17th, the excellent beach evaluation was conducted through written assessments on safety management statistical system input, COVID-19 information room utilization performance, and customer satisfaction in five categories. Additionally, a beach quarantine experience group composed of the general public and evaluation committee members visited the site directly to conduct the evaluation.

In particular, Sinji Myeongsashilli Beach received high marks for operating a three-stage quarantine system to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Leveraging its geographical characteristic of being connected by land, Wando County conducted a first round of temperature checks for all vehicle passengers entering Wando via Wando Bridge and Gogeum Bridge, followed by a second round of temperature checks and passage through gate-type disinfectors upon entering the beach.

The third stage of quarantine involved non-contact quarantine activities such as dispersing crowd density using drones on the sandy beach, which earned high scores in visitor satisfaction surveys.

On the 4th, the PPT presentation evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries awarded high scores in all four categories: quarantine management, price management, safety management, and environmental management.

To manage beach prices, a dedicated price management team composed of public officials and consumer food hygiene inspectors operated more than three times a week during the opening period, ensuring compliance with COVID-19 living quarantine guidelines, preventing unfair charges, and inspecting for discourteous behavior.

Notably, since 2015, the agreed prices have not been raised even once, demonstrating a model for a vacation spot free from overcharging, contributing to the excellent beach price management evaluation.

In the safety management sector, a 3.8 km wide sandy beach and the sea area were divided and assigned to safety personnel, marine rescue teams, and the Marine Corps Veterans Association to responsibly perform their duties, effectively preventing accidents. This has resulted in 12 consecutive years of no fatal accidents at the beach, solidifying its image and brand as the safest beach in Korea.

Furthermore, 15 thatched structure shops installed within the pine forest were all removed by February, expanding green space. The previously neglected area was developed into a small park and muscle beach space, increasing visitor satisfaction.

As an excellent beach, a national subsidy of 100 million KRW is provided for infrastructure improvement projects, along with a commendation from the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries and a reward of 1 million KRW.

A Wando County official stated, “Despite the unprecedented COVID-19 situation, many visitors came to Sinji Myeongsashilli Beach because it has been maintained as a safe and pleasant beach, having earned the Blue Flag international certification for two consecutive years, the first in Korea.” He added, “We will continue to upgrade both software and hardware so that Myeongsashilli Beach and the other 10 beaches in the county become year-round healing spaces.”

Meanwhile, the county is planning to pursue the acquisition of Korea’s second Blue Flag certification for Bogildo Yesong Beach next year.

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