Lee Jaeran, Policy Officer at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Visits Sancheong Anti-Aging Expo Site

Visited Donguibogamchon and Gyeongnam Anti-Aging Research Institute event sites
Establishing tourism zones and expanding experience infrastructure across the county

Director Lee Jaeran of the Ministry of Health and Welfare Visits Sancheong Anti-Aging Expo Site
[Image Source=Sancheong-gun]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 6th that government ministry officials visited the site of the ‘2023 Sancheong World Traditional Medicine Anti-Aging Expo (hereafter Expo)’ to inspect the current status.

This site visit was arranged as part of the preparatory work for the successful hosting of the Expo.

Attendees included Lee Jae-ran, Korean Medicine Policy Officer of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Lee In-sook, Director of Western Balanced Development of Gyeongnam Province, Lee Jae-geun, Mayor of Sancheong-gun, Shim Jae-hwa, Chairman of the County Council, and other Sancheong-gun officials.

In the afternoon, the visiting group went to Donguibogam Village and received an explanation of the main Expo venue status from an observatory overlooking the entire village.

They then toured the sub-venues in sequence, including the Sancheong Oriental Herbal Medicine Industrial Special Zone, Gyeongnam Oriental Medicine Anti-Aging Research Institute, herbal medicine market, and Donguibogam decoction center.

Provincial officials also attended the site visit to explain the feasibility of hosting an international event and the justification for holding the ‘Sancheong Expo.’

The approval for the Sancheong Expo as an international event will be decided at the final review by the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s International Event Review Committee around July, based on the ongoing feasibility study by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy.

Since the first Expo held in 2013 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the world heritage Donguibogam, the county has been actively preparing to hold the 2nd Sancheong World Traditional Medicine Anti-Aging Expo in 2023, marking the 10th anniversary.

The main venue, Donguibogam Village, will have the Donguibun and Bogammun gates installed as entry points, and tourism and experience infrastructure such as the suspension bridge Healing Bridge will be expanded. Additionally, a mountain herbal medicine cultivation complex will be created to allow indirect experience of Jirisan mountain herbs, and a healing forest is being established around Donguibogam Village for relaxation.

The county plans to develop Donguibogam Village into a world-class oriental medicine anti-aging themed wellness tourism hub to attract domestic and international tourists after the Expo.

Once the Bammeorijae Tunnel, currently under construction, opens, a Sancheong tourism district will be established connecting Donguibogam Village with Jirisan mid-mountain tourist spots, Namsa Yedam Village, Hwangmaesan Mountain, and Daewonsa Valley trails. Customized tourism resources will be discovered and products developed to revitalize the local economy.

A county official said, “The Expo held in 2013 is regarded as a successful content among international expos held in Korea. In particular, since the Expo, Sancheong Donguibogam Village has established itself as the largest oriental medicine anti-aging healing theme park in Korea and has grown into a leading domestic wellness tourism destination with 1.5 million annual visitors.”

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