Korea Island Promotion Agency Takes First Step in 'Island Specialization Project' in Boryeong, Chungnam

Workshop on Discovering Village Resources and Setting Development Directions Held

Simultaneous Pilot Consulting Linked to Specialized Projects Conducted

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Korea Island Promotion Agency (Director Oh Dongho) has taken the first step in the ‘Island Specialization Project.’

On the 1st, the Korea Island Promotion Agency announced that it held a workshop on Sapsido Island in Boryeong, Chungnam, targeting island residents to discover village resources and set development directions.

The workshop was attended by about 50 people, including Jeon Mankwon, the deputy director of the Korea Island Promotion Agency, related officials, the resident promotion team for the specialization project, Chungnam Province, Boryeong City, the PM team, and the consulting team.

Simultaneously, a pilot consulting linked to the specialization project will be conducted until the 2nd.

The resident workshop, opened by the Korea Island Promotion Agency, consisted of ▲ project plan presentation ▲ discovery of village resources and discussion on development directions ▲ project sharing and listening to residents’ opinions.

On the 2nd, the pilot advisory group is scheduled to conduct resident consulting. The consulting will be piloted to identify residents’ needs, discover consulting demands by field, and set consulting directions.

The ‘Island Specialization Project’ implemented by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is a project to support island residents in forming organizations, establishing village development plans, and promoting income-generating businesses and village revitalization activities to create sustainable island villages.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is conducting the Island Specialization Project through national funding competitions for the development of marginalized island areas, progressing from Phase 1 (basic capacity building) to Phase 4 (strengthening activation foundations), and next year, the project will be carried out in 25 island areas.

For the 2023 new project sites, 21 island areas in 9 cities, counties, and districts across 5 provinces including Incheon, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam were selected, and Sapsido is a Phase 1 project site.

Phase 1 projects are mandatory and were selected considering the validity of plans and the status of project applications.

The Korea Island Promotion Agency manages and operates projects for 20 island areas, including Sapsido, under a unified system.

Until now, the Island Specialization Project was managed and operated directly by each local government, but since the launch of the Korea Island Promotion Agency in October last year, the agency has taken charge of overall management of the specialization project.

By having the Korea Island Promotion Agency handle project and performance management and operate on-site managers (PMs), the project management system has been transformed into an effective and professional one.

In particular, the PM team was newly introduced this time. The Korea Island Promotion Agency decided to operate on-site managers (PMs) to collect residents’ opinions and enhance their capabilities, making the project a practical resident-participation initiative.

Oh Dongho, director of the Korea Island Promotion Agency, said, “Starting with Boryeong Sapsido this year, from next year, we will expand the Island Specialization Project to 20 areas, leading customized on-site support for island residents. We will also do our best to widely promote our beautiful islands next year by linking with various projects we are promoting, such as ‘Island of the Month,’ ‘Visiting Island On-site Forum,’ ‘Korea Island Pilgrimage,’ and ‘Islands You Want to Visit.’”

Meanwhile, on November 24, the Korea Island Promotion Agency received enthusiastic responses from island residents by linking the ‘11th Visiting Island On-site Forum’ held on Jawoldo Island, Ongjin-gun, Incheon, with the Island Specialization Project target sites.

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