Achievements of Sang-ik Lee, Hampyeong County Governor, on His 1st Anniversary...②

"Kickstarting the Leap to a Stay-Type Tourist Destination with the '4·4·8 Tourism Project'

Development of Bitgreen Industrial Complex and Livestock Agro-Industrial Complex... Accelerating the Relocation of the Livestock Science Institute

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[Hampyeong=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Marking the first anniversary of Lee Sang-ik, Hampyeong County Governor, who took office through the April 15, 2020 by-election, we reviewed the major achievements of Hampyeong county administration so far.

◆ Becoming a Stay-Type Tourism Hub ‘Stay in the Forest and Sea’

With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, events that were core to Hampyeong’s tourism such as the Butterfly Festival and the National Chrysanthemum Exhibition were temporarily halted, and large-scale events could not be held, putting the tourism industry at a new crossroads.

Hampyeong County is turning this crisis into an opportunity for a leap forward by preparing to become a ‘stay-type tourist destination.’

The tourism policy, which had been focused on one-off local festivals like the Butterfly Festival and the National Chrysanthemum Exhibition, is planned to be transformed into sustainable ‘stay-type tourism.’

To this end, existing resources such as Expo Park, Hampyeongcheon Ecological Wetland, and Hwayang Neighborhood Park will be actively utilized to develop the area into the Hampyeong Butterfly Garden, cultivating it as a resource that outsiders and tourists can visit anytime.

Along the perimeter of the Hampyeong Butterfly Garden, the Hampyeongcheonji-gil trail will be created, connecting forests, ecology, and urban parks. Additionally, to attract nighttime visitors, a nightscape project linked with a drive-in theater at Expo Park will be promoted to provide even more attractions.

Moreover, existing experience facilities such as the water play area and Expo Park experience center, as well as the installation of the Susanbong Observatory Tower, zipline, and skywalk, will increase the enjoyment options for tourists.

Building on these various tourism resources, to establish a ‘stay-type tourism culture’ that increases the length of visitors’ stays in Hampyeong, currently somewhat lacking accommodation facilities will be gradually expanded, including the creation of an auto camping site in the Hampyeong-eup area.

◆ Light Green Industrial Complex Phase 2 Construction... Leading Regional Industrial Innovation Growth

Efforts are also accelerating to foster local industry and innovative growth.

Gwangju Global Motors (GGM), located in the Light Green Industrial Complex in Wolya-myeon, Hampyeong, has begun trial production this month and is scheduled to operate with an annual production capacity of 100,000 vehicles starting in September.

For this, the first phase project, initiated by the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) in October 2014, was carried out in the border area between Gwangju and Hampyeong. Accordingly, 2,592,000㎡ of Phase 1-1 was completed in December last year, and 55,000㎡ of Phase 1-2 is expected to be completed around August.

The entire 1,426,000㎡ of the Phase 2 project site, located entirely within Hampyeong County, began construction in December 2019 and is currently 20% complete with earthworks underway, aiming for completion in June 2023 and progressing smoothly.

Accordingly, Hampyeong County is conducting a ‘backyard complex development project’ for the industrial complex, which is expected to create synergy effects in the surrounding area along with attracting companies to the complex.

This project involves creating various infrastructure such as worker housing, city gas, and residential neighborhood facilities.

To this end, Hampyeong County has established an inter-agency cooperation system with Gwangju City, Jeonnam Province, LH, and others to revitalize the Light Green Industrial Complex Phase 2 area and is providing one-stop services to support company settlement.

Through consultations with LH, public review and opinion gathering from residents are underway for the designation of public-supported private rental housing (1,400 units, scheduled for completion in 2026) in Wolya-myeon, Hampyeong, with the county providing administrative support accordingly.

This is expected to dramatically improve the residential environment near Wolya, contributing to population inflow and enhancing the quality of life for county residents.

◆ Accelerating Relocation of Livestock Agricultural Complex and Livestock Science Institute... Aspiring to Become a Leading Domestic Livestock Hub

Hampyeong County dreams of another leap forward based on livestock industry through the Myeongam Livestock Specialized Agricultural Complex and the relocation project of the National Institute of Animal Science’s Livestock Resources Development Department.

Since these two related projects are being promoted simultaneously, expectations are growing that the synergy effect will multiply the development of the county’s livestock industry.

The Myeongam Livestock Agricultural Complex project is an initiative to develop a 319,000㎡ agricultural complex by investing a total of 55.4 billion KRW from 2017 to 2022 to promote livestock industry and regional development using Hampyeong’s excellent livestock products.

From 2017 to 2019, Phase 1 covering 144,000㎡ was developed, and currently, detailed design work is underway for Phase 2.

Additionally, in September last year, it was designated and announced as an investment-leading district by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, receiving 8.3 billion KRW in national funds necessary for building an industrial tourism platform and benefiting from 73 types of regulatory exemptions including tax reductions.

Thanks to these various incentives, private investment is expected to gain further momentum.

After the establishment of the livestock specialized agricultural complex, the likelihood of attracting meat processing and distribution businesses, frozen processed food industries, and others will increase, generating effects such as production worth 103.5 billion KRW, creation of over 300 new jobs, and employment inducement of 559 people, thereby revitalizing the local economy.

Moreover, it is attracting attention as a groundbreaking opportunity to accelerate regional development by expanding sales channels for excellent agricultural, marine, and livestock products linked with adjacent metropolitan and surrounding commercial districts.

The relocation of the National Institute of Animal Science’s Livestock Resources Development Department is also noteworthy.

Currently located in Cheonan, Chungnam, the relocation project to Hampyeong County passed the National Assembly plenary session at the end of last year, securing a project budget of 4.3 billion KRW for the first year (2021), accelerating the project.

The Livestock Resources Development Department of the National Institute of Animal Science is a smart livestock research institution under the Rural Development Administration, a national agency researching livestock improvement, pasture, and feed.

The county has been promoting the relocation project since 2017 for sustainable livestock resource development and reached a final agreement with the National Institute of Animal Science in September last year for relocation to Hampyeong.

The total investment for the relocation project is 769.2 billion KRW. From this year until 2027, four departments including the Livestock Improvement Evaluation Division and 202 employees will be fully relocated to 642.6 hectares in Shingwang-myeon and Sonbul-myeon, Hampyeong County.

From this year, various service projects such as basic design and cultural heritage surveys, as well as procedures for changing the county’s urban management plan, will proceed. In the second year, administrative procedures such as land compensation and official announcement of county management plans will be carried out, and full-scale construction will begin in 2023.

With the relocation of the Livestock Resources Development Department, Hampyeong is expected to strengthen its regional livestock industry competitiveness through building a future livestock R&D foundation and improving customized livestock technologies.

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