[Interview] Lee Dong-sun, President of Jeju Marine Leisure Association, "We Will Lead the Promotion of Marine Leisure Culture"

International Marine Leisure Expo Held In-Person After 3 Years... "Public Interest Needed"

"We Want to Create Jeju's Unique Marine Leisure Culture Enjoyable in Daily Life"

Lee Dong-sun, President of Jeju Marine Leisure Association.

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] The 3rd Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo, which will present the future vision of Jeju's marine leisure industry that had been subdued due to COVID-19, will be held for three days starting from the 16th at Jeju Halla University Convention Hall and various locations across the island.

Hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, and organized by the Jeju Marine Leisure Association, this expo is expected to become a festival ground for Jeju to establish itself as the mecca of marine leisure in Northeast Asia through expert conferences aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of Jeju's marine leisure industry, networking with domestic and international marine cities and marine leisure organizations, and various exhibitions and experiential events by diverse companies.

We met with Lee Dong-soon, president of the Jeju Marine Leisure Association, who is working hard for the successful hosting of the event, to hear about the preparation process, significance, and future plans of this expo.

Lee Dong-soon, president of the Jeju Marine Leisure Association, said, "The Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo is an event prepared to promote Jeju domestically and internationally so that it can grow into the center of the Northeast Asian marine leisure industry, and to strengthen industrial competitiveness and expertise. Over the past three years, many stakeholders have worked hard to exchange with various domestic and international companies and academic societies for the success of the expo, but due to the COVID-19 situation, we were unable to fully showcase what we had prepared at the previous expos, which was regrettable."

Since its inception in 2020, the Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo had to be held in a reduced scale, with the first event being non-face-to-face and the second partially non-face-to-face due to COVID-19.

Lee Dong-soon, who took office this year, has high expectations for this expo, which will be held face-to-face for the first time in three years.

He said, "While the previous expos were industry-focused events with participation from marine leisure industry stakeholders and companies under limited conditions, this 3rd expo has made efforts to expand the scale of general visitors' participation and turn it into a marine leisure culture experience festival."

With the lifting of social distancing measures, this expo has expanded in scale and will be held under the theme "Marine Leisure in Daily Life, From Local to Global!" with participation from 5 countries, about 3,000 people, and over 50 institutions and companies.

Over two days, expert conferences on industry, policy, networking, branding, and marketing for the development of Jeju's marine leisure industry will be held, and various exhibitions and experiential events open to the general public will take place at the venue and throughout Jeju Island.

The association president said, "For the success of the expo and the development and cultivation of marine leisure culture, the interest and participation of the general public are most important," adding, "We have prepared various marine-related experiential events that anyone can easily enjoy by applying unique items such as upcycling and VR."

He especially emphasized, "We focused on linking the exhibition hall visits to various experiential events so that visitors can more practically experience, understand, and enjoy marine leisure."

To this end, during the event period, about 1,500 people will be able to enjoy 12 different marine leisure programs such as surfing, jet skiing, and scuba diving throughout Jeju.

The association president reiterated, "Understanding and interest from the Jeju resident community are essential for the importance and development of the marine leisure industry."

He explained that as the demand for marine leisure tourism and related consumption rapidly increases every year, for Jeju, which is rich in marine leisure resources, to become the center of the Northeast Asian marine leisure industry, it is crucial to popularize marine leisure through industrial base expansion and the participation and interest of the local community.

Recently, Jeju's marine leisure industry has been receiving unprecedented attention as the demand from marine leisure tourists who used to travel abroad has shifted to Jeju after COVID-19. It is being recognized as an important driving force for revitalizing the local economy and the sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

The association president said, "Until now, Jeju's marine leisure industry has grown centered on tourists, but for continuous growth and development in the future, local residents must take the lead," adding, "It is important to create an environment where anyone can enjoy marine leisure in daily life through popular understanding and interest in marine leisure culture and the establishment of supporting infrastructure, and based on this, to nurture and widely promote Jeju's unique marine leisure culture and industry."

As the industrial value of marine leisure is increasing day by day, it is necessary to develop it into Jeju's unique culture to maximize its value, and in this process, the Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo is expected to play an important role in raising public interest and understanding of marine leisure.

Finally, the association president expressed his aspiration, saying, "Many people still think marine leisure is difficult, expensive, and a hobby for a few, but I hope this expo will be an opportunity for more people to easily access marine leisure and discover its charm," and added, "We will continue our efforts to develop the Jeju International Marine Leisure Expo into a global marine leisure festival beyond Korea."

Jeju=Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won bless4ya@asiae.co.kr

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