Yun Byeong-tae, Mayor-elect of Naju, Begins 'Yeongsan River National Garden Development'

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Yoon Byung-tae, the elected mayor of Naju, Jeollanam-do, has begun the preliminary work for the representative pledge project of the 8th local government term, the ‘Yeongsan River National Garden Development.’

The Transition Committee for Mayor Yoon Byung-tae’s 8th Term Naju Great Transformation recently announced on the 21st that Mayor-elect Yoon, along with members of the Culture and Tourism Subcommittee (Chairman Jang Hyun-woo), started establishing a strategy to promote regional attractions along the Yeongsan River at the Donggang Neureoji Observatory.

At the meeting, Jo Young-du, a former Naju city council member and a local native, and Choi Haeng-yeon, former Donggang-myeon chief, joined to discuss the current operation status of the observatory, major ongoing projects, and ways to revitalize tourism resources.

Mayor-elect Yoon said, “The Yeongsan River, winding through the Naju Plain, possesses pristine ecological environments and tourism resources at various regional points. The Donggang Neureoji Observatory is a valuable tourism asset offering views of the Korean Peninsula’s terrain, and it is necessary to promote it as a wide-area project in the southern region of Jeollanam-do, including the Korean Peninsula terrain in Muan.”

He added, “It is an urgent task to establish a regional tourism attraction strategy linked to the Yeongsan River, including Neureoji Observatory, Useupje, Naju Bridge, Yeongsanpo Sports Park, Ddeuldeul Riverside, Naju Lake, and Dado Dam. We will prioritize the creation of the Yeongsan River National Garden and actively promote the revitalization of Naju’s cultural and tourism industries, as the heart of the Yeongsan River, the lifeline of the southern region.”

The ‘Yeongsan River National Garden Development’ is considered the top priority project in Yoon’s vision of a global small but strong city with a population of 200,000, focusing on the activation of culture, tourism, and sports linked to the Yeongsan River.

Along with regional attraction development along the Yeongsan River, core projects include the creation of a 300-ri premium bicycle path and trail around the Yeongsan River.

Additionally, plans include revitalizing the cultural and tourism industries by utilizing the taste and charm of the original downtown area with a thousand years of history, through projects such as ‘Restoration of Naju Eupseong and Naju Mok Government Office,’ ‘Millennium Garden in the Eupseong Area,’ ‘Creation of Najucheon Ecological Waterway Park,’ ‘Tourism commercialization of historical and cultural exploration trails spanning the Mahan, Three Kingdoms, Goryeo, and Joseon periods,’ and branding the ‘Naju Table (tentative name).’

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong bong2910@asiae.co.kr

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