Sim Deokseop, Gochang County Governor, 1st Anniversary of Inauguration: "We Will Leap Forward as a Global Tourism City"

Published 03 Jul.2023 13:58(KST)

Sim Deok-seop, the mayor of Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk, held the ‘Employee Communication Day’ and a ‘Press Conference’ on the 3rd to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration, expressing his ambition to “enhance the pride of the only city in Korea that possesses seven UNESCO-recognized world treasures and to leap forward as a global tourist city.”

Shim Deok-seop, the governor of Gochang County, is holding the 'Employee Communication Day' and a 'Press Conference' on the 1st anniversary of his inauguration on the 3rd.
[Photo by Gochang County]

Mayor Sim evaluated that the ‘winning habit’ has been established through a series of major contest selections and back-to-back successes with UNESCO Global Geopark and World Heritage registrations since the end of last year. He noted that the spirit of challenge, unafraid of failure, has impressed not only government ministries but also international organizations.

He cited seven major achievements over the past year: ▲ Selection as a Terminal City Regeneration Innovation District ▲ Attraction of the Honam Region Drone Integrated Support Center ▲ 350 billion KRW investment agreement with Yongpyong Resort ▲ Selection for Rural Agreement and Rural Tourism Star Village contests ▲ Certification of Global Geopark (13 famous sites including Byeongbawi) and registration of World Heritage (such as Gochang Mujangpo Gomu) ▲ Investment agreement with Jitech Co., Ltd. in the New Vitality Industrial Complex ▲ Designation as a legal cultural city.

Earlier, a satisfaction survey on the 8th civilian administration (April 13-14, conducted by Wonji Korea Consulting, targeting 500 residents with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±4.4%) showed that three out of four residents were satisfied with Sim Deok-seop’s administration in Gochang.

The most highly rated positive factor was ‘smooth communication and promotion.’ This was analyzed to be largely due to Mayor Sim’s on-site administration visits every weekend and the active promotion and briefings of projects by the heads of each eup and myeon as well as public officials.

Mayor Sim said, “In the second year of my term, I will enhance the completeness of the administrative goals that are being actively pursued in the 8th civilian administration,” adding, “The year-round festivals will continue with the ‘Bokbunja and Watermelon Festival’ and the ‘Mudflat Festival,’ and the 50th anniversary of the Moyangseong Festival will be made the best festival nationwide.”

The 50th Moyangseong Festival is preparing to transform into a vibrant and youthful festival by offering diverse experiential programs that blend history, tradition, and modern culture, as well as developing night-time content using advanced cultural technology (CT) such as creative performances, media fa?ades, drone shows, night lighting sound shows, and art experiences.

Mayor Sim Deok-seop emphasized, “While it is important to launch new policies, it is even more important to faithfully implement policies and achieve tangible results that resonate with the residents,” stressing, “We will attract companies to the Gochang New Vitality Industrial Complex and complete the historic groundbreaking of the Noeul Bridge.”