Sim Min, Imsil County Governor, "Full Effort to Have SRT and KTX Stop at Imsil Station"

Published 03 Jul.2023 17:59(KST)

Sim Min, the governor of Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk, expressed on the first anniversary of the 8th local government administration, "As the biggest pending project, I will do my best to ensure that both SRT and KTX stop at Imsil Station."

On the 3rd, Governor Sim held a petition inquiry commemorating the first anniversary of the 8th local government administration at the county office's cultural lecture room, attended by about 300 people including heads of departments, town and township chiefs, and staff. He said, "It has been about nine years since I have been running tirelessly," and added, "I have worked hard to repay the noble will of the residents who elected me three times as an independent, and I will continue to do so."

Sim Min-gun is conducting a pledge meeting and training to commemorate the first anniversary of the 8th term of the civilian government on the 3rd at the cultural lecture room of the county office.
[Photo by Imsil-gun]

Governor Sim cited the notable achievements of the 8th local government administration as ▲achieving a budget of 667.3 billion won in 2022 ▲opening of Okjeongho Suspension Bridge and surpassing 630,000 tourists ▲securing 188 foreign seasonal workers including from Tuyen Quang Province, Vietnam, a sister city ▲exceeding 400 million won in hometown love donations ▲receiving the excellent institution award in the comprehensive evaluation of proactive administration and being selected for the vulnerable area living environment improvement project for nine consecutive years.

He then presented practical tasks and goals to be focused on during the remaining term of the 8th local government administration and emphasized that all staff should concentrate their capabilities.

First, he asked for active efforts in attracting tourists and promoting each major tourist site to realize the core goal of the 8th local government administration, the "Era of 10 Million Tourists in Imsil."

To this end, he emphasized highlighting the European-style rose garden spanning about 13,000 pyeong created at the Imsil Cheese Theme Park and the Imsil Cheese History and Culture Hall honoring Father Jijeonghwan as new tourist attractions, as well as ensuring the successful hosting of the upcoming Aqua Festival (7.15~8.6), the representative autumn festival Imsil N Cheese Festival (10.6~10.9), and preparations for the winter Santa Festival (12.23~12.25).

In particular, he focused on revitalizing major tourist sites including Okjeongho Suspension Bridge and Jara Island, known as Jeonbuk's treasure tourist spots, as well as Seongsusan Mountain, Saseondae, and Osu World Famous Dog Theme Land, and ordered measures to boost sales of local agricultural specialties to lead to regional economic revitalization.

He also urged to expedite preparations such as establishing a comprehensive plan covering tourism, cultural heritage, sports, rural areas, and ecology, and intensive promotion for the "2025 Imsil Visit Year" campaign.

Governor Sim said, "We must make great efforts to secure national budgets, actively respond to public contests, and discover medium to large-scale national projects," adding, "I will do my best to ensure that KTX stops at Imsil Station."

He added, "The Jeolla Line railway running from Jeonju to Namwon, Gokseong, Gurye, Suncheon, and Yeosu does not stop at Imsil Station alone, which greatly hinders the development of Imsil-gun."

He also listed key projects such as ▲installation of a suspension bridge at Jara Island, Okjeongho (19 billion won) ▲construction of a resident convenience facility with male and female sauna facilities on the site of the Imsil Jeil Theater, which has been abandoned for over 40 years (1 basement floor, 8 floors above ground) ▲opening of a waterfront tourist road at Okjeongho and installation of a cable car at Bungeo Island ▲completion of the World Famous Dog Theme Land.

Furthermore, he ordered a speedy operation of county administration in the second half of the year, prevention of disasters such as heavy summer rains and typhoons, and strict establishment of public service discipline.

Governor Sim Min said, "As always, I will take the lead, visiting the National Assembly, central government departments, and provincial government offices anytime to make requests and find solutions on-site, practicing hands-on administration," and added, "Let us unite our efforts to work hard together, focusing solely on the people of Imsil-gun."